Career Advice for Scientists Volume

Career Advice for Life Scientists Scientists Life for Advice Career Career Advice for Life Scientists Volume III Volume III Volume THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR CELL BIOLOGY

Career Advice for Life Scientists III

THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR CELL BIOLOGY

Career Advice for Life Scientists III

Volume Editors Ursula W. Goodenough Elizabeth Marincola

Executive Director Joan Goldberg

Director of Publications W. Mark Leader

Editorial and Education Senior Manager Thea Clarke

Production Manager Elizabeth M. Rich

Published with support from the Office of Research on Women’s Health of the National Institutes of Health and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund

Cover photo by Lachlan Jolly (See Molecular Biology of the Cell 20: 2015–2029.)

Table of Contents

Introduction to Career Advice for Life Scientists III 1

1. ACADEMIC CAREERS 3 Succeeding in Science at a Liberal Arts College ...... 4 How to Ask Your Chair for a Raise . . 7 Sustaining Women through Critical Career Transitions . . . . . 10 Late Career Opportunities and Challenges for Cell Biologists . . . . 14

2. ALTERNATIVE SCIENCE CAREERS 19 From Lab to Law ...... 20 Science through Words 23 Science Libraries Want You! . . . . 26 Exploring a Career at the NIH Center for Scientific Review . . 29

3. THE HEAD GAME 33 Strategies for the Shy 34 Becoming Visible: Effective Self-Promotion ...... 37

4. COMMUNICATION 41 How to Write an Effective Letter of Recommendation 42 How to Read a Letter of Recommendation ...... 46 Delivering an Effective Scientific Lecture ...... 50 Email Etiquette 53

5. SCIENTIFIC CITIZENSHIP 59 Approaching the Critical Task of Peer Review 60 Revising Your NIH Grant Application ...... 63

6. GRADUATE AND POSTDOC ISSUES 67 Advice on Choosing a Successful Postdoctoral Position ...... 68 How to Apply for a Postdoctoral Position ...... 71 How to Have a Successful Postdoc Experience and Get a Good Job . . 74 Your Career Plan … Consider the Forest While You’re Focused on the Trees 78 Their Future in Your Hands: Inspiring Undergrads to Pursue Ph.D.s . . . . 81

7. UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITY ISSUES 85 Diversity in Science: The Importance of Mentoring . . . . 86 Self-Awareness and Cultural Identity: A Medical School Course of Exploration into Personal Unconscious Bias 90

8. WOMEN IN SCIENCE 95 A Network of Our Own ...... 96 Improving the Climate for Women in Academia 99 The Wisdom of Athena: A Model Scheme for Achieving Gender Equity in Science and Engineering in the UK ...... 103

9. CAREER AND FAMILY 107 Dual-Career Academic Couples 108 Postponement of Parenthood— the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly . . 111 Postponement of Parenthood: Implications for Women Scientists 115 On Supporting Female Postdoctoral Fellows with Children 118

vi CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS III ------Introduction to Career Advice for Life Scientists III

he Women in Cell Biology (WICB) Committee traces its origins to 1971, when a small assem- Tbly of Yale colleagues determined to organize a gathering of the few women attending the 11th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) in New Orleans that year. They posted flyers on the back of bathroom stalls and 30 women showed up. The first sustained effort of this pick-up group was a “newsletter”—a bimonthly mimeographed job— addressing topics as diverse and important as sexist advertisements in scientific journals, job opportunities (though the jobs had not been advertised), and American Civil Liberties Union rulings that women Ursula W. Goodenough should not be required to use their husband’s names Chair and that single women should qualify to receive loans ASCB Women in and hold mortgages. Cell Biology Committee In the subsequent almost four decades, the WICB Committee has, in its way, become the heart and soul of the cell biology community. Women in cell biology and the WICB Committee have achieved sufficient progress to make the early concerns seem almost quaint. But the challenges faced by women in science today are, while more subtle, still real and still attracting the commitment of dedicated cell biologists. We are proud of contributing to that history. Elizabeth Marincola One of the keys to the success of the ASCB WICB President Committee is that its activities and services have Society for Science & the Public served the many male members of the ASCB and the Publisher scientific community as well as its women. This has Science News never been so true as in recent years, when students and postdocs face acute challenges in establishing satisfying careers in the life sciences. In response, the WICB Committee has given high priority to programs, events, publications, and awards that support the career aspirations of scientists. The Career Advice for Life Scientists series is offered in that spirit.

------INTRODUCTION 1 This is the third volume of selected arti- Newsletter, and their job included gather- cles from the acclaimed WICB column of ing $1 and $5 contributions from colleagues the award-winning ASCB Newsletter, those to keep it going; chairs before the WICB ranked by WICB Committee members as pro- Committee became an official ASCB commit- viding the most helpful career advice for life tee were Ellen Dirksen, Nina Allen, Kathryn scientists. The first volume was published in Vogel, Patricia Calarco, Mina Bissell, Jane 2002 while Zena Werb served as WICB chair Peterson, Susan Gerbi, Mary Lou King, and (1997–2001), following the leadership of W. Ursula Goodenough (33% of whom—Gerbi, Sue Shafer (1994–1997). The second volume Goodenough, and Bissell—were later elected was published while Ursula Goodenough President of the ASCB, as was Zena Werb); was chair (2001–present). Based on the suc- Dorothy Skinner served as the conscience of cess of the monthly ASCB Newsletter columns the ASCB Council in the early years; Laura and the overwhelming popularity of Career Williams and Maureen Brandon were dedi- Advice for Life Scientists Volumes I and II, we cated editors of the ASCB Newsletter WICB trust that this compilation will prove even column (Laura did much of the research more helpful than the sum of its parts. that contributed to this history); and Emma At the risk of inadvertently excluding Shelton, Dorothea Wilson, Rosemary Simpson, deserving colleagues, we acknowledge proud- Elizabeth Marincola, and Joan Goldberg, as ly some of the many people who together ASCB executives, have helped nurture wom- have conspired to make the ASCB WICB en’s activities through the Society. Finally, but Committee and its column widely imitated not least, we thank the National Institutes of and praised: Virginia Walbot, Mary Clutter, Health Office of Research on Women’s Health and Mary Lake Polan made up that small and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, without critical mass from Yale that lit the spark in the support of which we could not offer this 1971; Susan Goldhor and Elizabeth Harris resource. n were early editors of The Women in Cell Biology

2 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS III ------1. ACADEMIC CAREERS

Succeeding in Science at a Liberal Arts College

How to Ask Your Chair for a Raise

Sustaining Women through Critical Career Transitions

Late Career Opportunities and Challenges for Cell Biologists Succeeding in Science at a Liberal Arts College

’m dragging because I was up until 2:00 am on eBay. It was worth it, though; I won the used Afga IX-ray developer for only $1,200. I spent the first part of the morning trying to order lab supplies. I just got off the phone with Fisher, trying to order pipette tips and microcentrifuge tubes. I had to scrounge up a P.O. for them and couldn’t find the paper with my account number on it. I struggled to figure out whether I have money in my jumbled grant budget to pay for the supplies. I think I’ve done some math incorrectly and may have found an extra $200 (or maybe I’ve done the math correctly and am $200 short, not sure...). I’ve now got 15 minutes left of the hour before my biochemistry lecture to set up a restriction Jennifer Roecklein-Canfield digest and load a gel. Alas, it’s not to be, for as soon as Simmons College I step outside my office I spot two students from my immunology class approaching me. Those precious 15 minutes are disappearing….

Where else could I collaborate with some great researchers in my field, without the fear of losing my funding and the pressure to churn out publication after publication?

Dictionaries define fragmented as broken into pieces. There is no better adjective to describe what it is like to be a scientist at an undergraduate liberal arts college, in my case at Simmons College, where the undergraduates are women. On any given day, I am called upon to be a PI, a lab manager, a lab technician, a grants administrator, a teacher, a career advisor, and sometimes a soft place to land for an unhappy 18-year-old. Imagine for a moment, your

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lab with no technician, no postdocs, and no Teacher-Scientist or grad students. Who’s available to do the Scientist-Teacher experiments? YOU. You would be making I teach three courses in an average semes- the plates, purifying the plasmids, lysing the ter. I have about 30 advisees each semester, cells, running the gels, washing the blots, and there are usually two to three students and so on. Calculate the number of produc- doing independent research in my laboratory tive hours your postdocs, techs, and gradu- each year. ate students spend at the bench performing This translates into about 15–20 student experiments. Now imagine that it is only you contact hours per week. My students have and maybe a few junior undergraduates. It’s constant access to me, and my door is always a frightening thought. open for conversation and a cup of tea. I mentor these students, and counsel them, and, Collaboration and Fragmentation hopefully, serve as a role model so that they At the moment, my lab is working on three will go on to become scientists themselves. very different projects. I’m collaborating But first I have to teach them biochemistry with one colleague who is characterizing an and immunology—without a teaching assis- Escherichia coli protein possibly involved in tant to run the labs, go over homework prob- transcriptional silencing. I’m collaborating lems, or grade the 10-page take-home exams with another colleague who is exploring the I’m fond of giving. evolution of a murine mutation involved in So, am I a teacher-scientist or scientist- patterning in the mouse. And finally, my lab’s teacher? Does it matter? Does the fact that I’m own project is characterizing the functional a teacher-scholar make me less of a “real sci- relevance of a mammalian B cell receptor pro- entist” in the perception of the larger research tein and its downstream protein partner. This community? Will researchers at major research means that I’m a molecular, developmental, institutions take me seriously? and cellular biologist, with a dash of biochemistry and immunology thrown in. Talk about “fragmented”! I am truly never bored, but I face a Sisyphean task trying to keep up with If you can imagine funding all the literature. your entire laboratory on a By definition, liberal arts colleges, and hence $2,000 research grant, you will their departments, are small. Consequently, I am the sole representative of several fields begin to comprehend my joy at in my department. I am the only biochemist finding used lab equipment for in the chemistry department and the only sale on eBay. immunologist in the biology department. My office sits between those of an inorganic chemist and a physical chemist. They have become versed at determining if there really Will major grant programs consider me is a band on the Western blot I just ran, and “worthy” of receiving funding? If you can I have become an expert at analyzing their imagine funding your entire laboratory on a MALDI-TOF mass spectra. Hence, collabora- $2,000 research grant, you will begin to com- tion is essential; it is impossible to do research prehend my joy at finding used lab equip- in a vacuum. ment for sale on eBay.

------CHAPTER 1 • ACADEMIC CAREERS 5 Why would I choose this path? I get to passionate about his or her work. I am excited dabble in many scientific disciplines daily. when a manuscript is accepted for publica- Where else could I apply my training in tion, but I am equally excited when my stu- molecular biology to learning how to run a dents are accepted into graduate school. MALDI-TOF mass spec? Where else could I My very first student will shortly defend watch the epiphany of understanding dawn her Ph.D. thesis at the Massachusetts Institute on the face of a junior when she finally appre- of Technology. So the next time you have ciates that cell biology and biochemistry are particularly skilled graduate students join actually related? Where else could I write, be your lab, think about where they came from. awarded, and control my own grants, and still Think about the scientists who trained them manage to wield a pipette? Where else could at the undergraduate level and inspired I collaborate with some great researchers in them to continue. I am a scientist and I am my field, without the fear of losing my fund- a teacher. ing and the pressure to churn out publication It doesn’t matter in which order you write after publication? the words, because on any given day I am Am I exhausted at the end of the day? equally both. And I would not have it any Without question, but so is anyone who is other way. n

6 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS III ------How to Ask Your Chair for a Raise

f you are at an institution with fairly fixed salaries tied to teaching, administration, and your step on Ithe academic ladder, this article may be somewhat irrelevant; move up the ladder and you get the raise. In contrast, in many medical schools, one’s primary responsibilities are either research supported by extra- mural grants or patient care supported by practice fees. This results in a range of compensation at each rank, meaning that one’s salary is often negotiable.

[C]onfrontational negotiation has many pitfalls. While it may be effective in the short run, it often damages your Victor L. Schuster Albert Einstein College of long-term relationship with the chair. Medicine

Confrontational Negotiation Your initial inclination may be to take an aggres- sive stance with the chair and stake out a “position.” Although some chairs are clueless and will require such hardball tactics, confrontational negotiation has many pitfalls. While it may be effective in the short run, it often damages your long-term relationship with the chair. Here are some examples, taken from Sandra K. Masur real life, of various confrontational approaches and a Mount Sinai School of Medicine chair’s response.

1. “I’ve been looking at other jobs. If I leave, you’ll be in trouble. To stay, I’ll need a raise.” This is very risky. Be prepared to have your offer to leave accepted. The chair may be thinking: “I’d really like to keep you, but no job has been offered to you yet, and maybe none will be. I have a file of applicants wanting your position, many of whom appear ‘hungrier’ than you to succeed. And I’ve weathered defections before.”

------CHAPTER 1 • ACADEMIC CAREERS 7 2. “I’ve been offered a terrific position else- 6. “I want parity.” You might take the where, and unless I get a raise, I’m leav- approach that a fellow faculty member at ing.” Although a stronger position than your rank earns more, and that you want #1, it is still extremely confrontational parity. Before taking such a “comparative” (indeed, many chairs call this the “ter- approach, know your facts. For example, rorist” approach). Besides, the chair may your colleague may not really make the think: “If it’s such a great position, why salary you assert. Or the faculty at higher- aren’t you simply leaving?” or “I don’t paid institutions may be required to bring believe you; show me the written offer.” in a higher percentage of salary than you. A As with #1, you must be prepared to have more useful approach might be “According your bluff called. to the AAMC 75th percentile salaries for our region, I am underpaid for my academ- 3. “I work like a dog, 60–70 hours a week, I ic field and rank.” Introducing an external need a raise.” Without productivity data benchmark into the discussion may engen- relative to your peers, this argument will der a healthier salary analysis that might likely fall on deaf ears. The chair may think: even benefit your whole department. “I’m delighted you’re so dedicated to us, but for all those hours, what are your grant 7 Equity arguments such as “I’m underpaid dollars? Your productivity? Your clinical because I’m a woman” (or “a minority”). billings? Maybe you’re just very inefficient, These may have been true in the past, but or have no life outside the lab or hospital. because of Equal Employment Opportunity Maybe you work on things that don’t gen- Plan and Affirmative Action, most institu- erate revenue or are not aligned with our tions currently review salaries annually goals for the department.” with precisely this thought in mind.

4. “As you know from my evaluations, I’m a great teacher. I’m planning new courses You have to find sources for and lectures and I’ll need a raise to support these new activities.” The sad truth is that your raise that generate revenue medical schools often pay little for teach- and align your activities with ing, and teaching budgets are often fixed. the needs of your department. The chair may think: “We have plenty of teaching already; what I really need is to decrease the waiting time for new patients,” or “What we really need is for you to fund Looking for Common Interests more of your salary on a grant.” This alternative approach builds on two principles: (1) Your chair doesn’t have an unlim- 5. “My children are starting college,” or “We ited bank account to draw on, and (2) You have new home renovations”—demands have to find sources for your raise that gen- related to new personal expenses—are erate revenue and align your activities with generally not effective. It could be argued the needs of your department. For a basic that you should have planned ahead. scientist, this often means generating more Importantly, the chair will be fearful of set- grant dollars that include sufficient funds to ting a precedent for every special case. cover the increased salary. If you have clinical responsibilities, learn about “work relative

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value units (wRVUs) and wRVU benchmarks 4. Be on time, come prepared, make your case for your specialty, since a salary increase may calmly, and, above all, “no whining.” require you to generate billings above that benchmark. 5. If you are rebuffed (which is likely on the first meeting), ask specifically why. Write The “Ask” Meeting down the answer and try to flesh it out 1. Do your homework first. Ensure that you more fully with the chair at the meeting. are meeting or exceeding the chair’s expec- Ask: “What specific goals of the depart- tations for your present role. Calculate how ment could I fill that, in your opinion, much salary you generate in grants and/ might get me the raise I seek?” This is also or how much you bill clinically (wRVUs an opportunity to explore creative solu- generated). Find out comparable salaries tions, such as a bonus from a new grant for your peers from guidelines on depart- rather than a base salary increase, or a trial mental and institutional websites or from increase tied to targets. Ask the chair to Association of American Medical Colleges identify mentors (research, clinical) who data. Visit https://services.aamc.org/ can help you achieve your identified goals Publications/index.cfm. in these new areas.

2. Assuming you are productive, look for 6. Re-examine whether your needs can be additional unmet needs, important to your satisfied only by a salary increase. It might chair or institution, that you might fulfill. If be equally helpful to get the chair’s support you meet these needs well and efficiently, for flexible time, training in new skills, or will that generate new revenue? If so, will day care. you be rewarded appropriately? If the answers are “yes,” you have a good chance The bottom line is that confrontational of working with your chair to fund your approaches are a last resort. To be successful, own raise. you must above all understand how your chair thinks about salaries. In the film Being 3. Schedule the meeting with your chair. John Malkovich, various strangers get inside Avoid the mistake of saying the meeting the actor’s head and see the world as he does. is “personal.” Instead, explicitly tell the Get inside your chair’s head before you ask secretary it’s about “compensation” so the for a raise. You’ll be glad you did. n chair can be prepared with data about your salary and its sources.

------CHAPTER 1 • ACADEMIC CAREERS 9 Sustaining Women through Critical Career Transitions

ith fascinating data and inspirational personal stories, a recent meeting held by the WNational Academies examined women’s careers in science, technology, engineering, and medicine (STEM). The National Academies Committee on Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine organized the September 18–19, 2008, meeting in Washington, DC, to spotlight obstacles and solutions to smooth career transitions in these fields. A variety of compelling career challenges—many faced by both women and men—are longstanding. Many strategies to address them aren’t new either. However, some les- sons were apparent and worth examining.

Joan R. Goldberg Understanding the Data American Society for Cell Biology An overview of a National Science Foundation (NSF)- funded study, five years in the making, assessing gender differences in academic careers was presented by Claude Canizares.1 The population studied included tenure-track and tenured faculty at research-intensive institutions. Six disciplines, including biology, were targeted in the 1,800 faculty at 89 institutions studied. By examining hiring, promotion, tenure, and resources (including lab space and start-up funds), the investigators sought to understand where institutions tried to intervene and where they were successful. The bottom line according to Canizares: “I believe we’ve made the academic research career unattractive to men and women and particularly for minorities.” The age at first assistant professor position has climbed from 34 in 1980 to 38 in 2006, he noted. In addition, the age of receiving one’s first NIH R01 grant, as widely noted, is now 43, vs. 37 in 1980. Kathleen Christensen of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation cited a recent study at the University of California system finding that women were significantly less likely to want to pursue academic careers than men before starting graduate work: 35% vs. 45%.

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The gap persisted after they started graduate At Princeton, the mix includes programs school (27% vs. 36%). Women apply for fewer for graduate students (GS) and postdocs (P): academic positions, submit fewer grants, and • Maternity leave (GS, P) express a greater desire for career flexibility, • Automatic one additional term of financial she noted. “What we have is a structural mis- support for the primary caretaker of each match,” according to Christensen. “What’s child (GS) needed is…career flexibility…a way of struc- • Workload relief for the primary caretaker turally realigning the career path.” (an additional term of financial support for Now for the Good News the primary caretaker of each child for GS) Recognizing that there was a problem, nine • Back-up care program (GS, P) research university presidents began meet- • Dependent care travel fund (GS, P) ing annually in 2001, at the urging of the • Employee and student childcare assistance Massachusetts Institute of Technology, program (GS, P) reported Joan Girgus of Princeton University. • Expanded on-campus childcare (GS, P) The university presidents agreed to: • Analyze the salaries and proportion of • Employee assistance provider work/life other university resources provided to program (GS, P) women faculty In addition, Princeton and other insti- • Work toward a faculty reflective of the tutions provide for faculty an automatic diversity of the students one-year extension of the tenure clock for each child. • Share initiatives undertaken to achieve

objectives Encouraging Cultural Change To recognize the institutions that seek to transform their culture and policies to pro- What’s needed? An institutionally vide more support to women, the Alfred P. supported mix of programs and Sloan Foundation initiated the Alfred P. Sloan services characterized by variety Awards for Faculty Career Flexibility. The awards consider policies such as extended and flexibility. time to tenure (including modified duties and tenure clock stoppage, “on and off ramps” through leave policies, delayed entry—to fos- About three years ago the presidents’ focus ter late career starts, and phased retirement). shifted to the work and family life “juggle,” The Sloan awards addressed these issues in Girgus explained. And the focus expanded a first round of foundation awards targeted from faculty to include postdocs and graduate at research-intensive institutions. The second students. What’s needed? An institutionally round focused on master’s granting institu- supported mix of programs and services char- tions. The third and current round addresses acterized by variety and flexibility, Girgus liberal arts institutions (www.acenet.edu/ said. Given the need to relocate for many AM/Template.cfm?Section-sloan_awards). opportunities, partner placement assistance is The awards look at cultural and pro- important. (Girgus has written about the “two- grammatic changes. Assessments evaluate body” program for the ASCB Newsletter. See the engagement of leadership, the training www.ascb.org/files/0510wicb.pdf.) of chairs, communications, transparency,

------CHAPTER 1 • ACADEMIC CAREERS 11 and use of funds. To further foster change, staff position. She now runs large-scale multi- each entrant receives benchmarking reports disciplinary teams in genetics and genomics. to make clear how comparable institutions Collaboration is a hallmark, and consensus- address similar problems. Carrying $200,000 building rather than competition is critical to to $250,000 each, the awards aim to accelerate her success, Gabriel observed. She also found efforts as well as recognize leadership and flexibility and recognition in her career. In innovation in career flexibility programs. fact, it may present a new model, critical for large projects to succeed, and an alternative to the two-class system (of faculty and not faculty). All the speakers acknowledged ASCB Minorities Affairs Committee Vice- the importance of mentors and Chair Lydia Villa-Komaroff and several other colleagues, willingness to make speakers described their two-way paths from, between, and to academic and industry posi- geographic and institutional tions. Villa-Komaroff also pointed to the criti- moves, and making choices in cal role played by mentors and champions. building their own career paths. For students and postdocs looking ahead, Susan Wessler of the University of Georgia argued that being a professor “is a great job if you want to be a mom.” Why? She named Inspirational Stories Shared flexible hours, good pay, the ability to take A diverse group of women speakers described long vacations to “cool” places, a diverse their career paths and spotlighted their tran- career (research, teaching, administration, sitions: from postdoc to assistant professor, writing), and fairly reasonable colleagues. She from assistant professor to associate and full recommended “making smart choices about professor, into upper administration, and to partners,” and advised asking: industry. All the speakers acknowledged the • Is this someone who is supportive of your importance of mentors and colleagues, will- career? ingness to make geographic and institutional • Is he or she prepared to contribute equally moves, and making choices in building their to parenting if you have children? own career paths. A participant noted that grants and fellow- In terms of choosing where to live and ships can assist with these transitions. For work, Wessler also advised comparing pos- example, the National Institutes of Health sible jobs in terms of the availability of: has a variety of portable awards to fund indi- • Affordable housing viduals at the end of postdoctoral fellowships. • Affordable childcare These include K, or career development, • Minimal commute awards, including the New Investigators Program Pathway to Independence Award • A family-friendly department/workplace (K99/R00). This award is portable to junior faculty positions. Next Steps Nontraditional pathways and interdisci- The meeting included invited oral testimony plinary fields can offer special rewards. Stacey by professional societies—including that by Gabriel of the Broad Institute described how ASCB Council member and Women in Cell she rejected pursuing a postdoc in favor of a Biology (WICB) member Sandra Masur—

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offering new directions and highlighting One resource now available is provided by society programs. Masur addressed how the the NSF Advance (Increasing the Participation skills of midlife women scientists who have and Advancement of Women in Academic successfully juggled career and family may Science and Engineering Careers) program be overlooked in recruitment for dean and grantees. A portal to their individual web- director positions. She called for a new model sites, which include survey instruments and for identifying candidates for management evaluations, can be found at www.nsf.gov/ training. crssprogm/advance/itwebsites.jsp. Many society representatives cited their While the road ahead may be rocky, insti- own programs—including the many ASCB tutional support may be increasing. The bot- WICB programs at the ASCB Annual Meeting tom line: Seek the support you need, from and the Career Advice for Life Scientists peers, mentors, institutions, and professional series. I urged that: societies… and don’t give up your goals! n • Professional societies should work together in program development rather than waste Reference time “reinventing the wheel.” 1. National Research Council. (forthcom- ing 2009). Assessing Gender Differences • A shared space for data from evaluated in Careers of Science, Engineering and programs that work in providing career Mathematics Faculty. Washington, DC: flexibility, mentorship, etc., should be National Academy Press. developed. • What works in smoothing career transitions should be better disseminated as well.

------CHAPTER 1 • ACADEMIC CAREERS 13 Late Career Opportunities and Challenges for Cell Biologists

onversation with any group of cell biologists 55–65 years old will elicit a range of opinions Cabout their ideas for the years ahead. Some are committed to ever more research and/or teaching, essentially a continuation of mid-career activities. Others are looking forward with enthusiasm to the prospect of doing something different, perhaps doing nothing at all, while many fall in between. There is no general solution to optimizing late career options, because the pertinent issues are so complex and personal that each individual must think things through for him/herself. There are, however, a number of processes that seem generally important for the personal decisions that must be made. J. Richard McIntosh University of Colorado Some older scientists are still full of energy but bored with the problems they have studied for a significant time.

Some people think of retirement as an event that will occur at a specific date, a Rubicon to be crossed that all too much resembles the River Styx. One can, however, approach one’s late career with more personal control, organizing a gradual change. Many employers will permit and even encourage a phased retirement in which duties diminish over some years, either through part-time work or a negotiated agreement.1 If one is enjoying most of professional life but finding that the pace has become too demanding, a gradual retirement probably makes sense. This course may also be advan- tageous for one’s department, allowing several older scientists to wind down and release their positions, while the department initiates hirings that will bring in new blood.

14 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS III ------THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR CELL BIOLOGY

Some older scientists are still full of energy of pace and an exciting challenge, as well as but bored with the problems they have stud- significant personal reward. Recent research ied for a significant time. Unfortunately, most on interactive learning suggests ways to funding agencies are conservative about new engage students, even in large lecture cours- endeavors, so a change of field is not easy at es, helping them learn more effectively.2 any career stage (new grants are harder to Modern information technology can provide get than renewals for everyone). Late career instructors with immediate feedback on the does, however, offer opportunities for change success or failure of their exposition, allow- that are less obvious. Seniority can allow ing lecture modification on the fly and a sig- you to reduce the stresses of running a lab, nificant increase in the efficacy of informa- providing a welcome splash of freedom. If, tion transfer.3 Computers can serve as teach- for example, you enjoy lab work but not the ing machines or as surrogates for hands-on struggle for resources, you can probably find laboratory work. While such ideas are not a congenial younger colleague who would necessarily new, one can find rewarding and welcome you into the lab as an associate effective ways to use a professional lifetime to work on scientific problems of common of teaching and learning experience to enrich interest. This would give chances both to the pedagogic process. As a senior scientist, train students in techniques and thought one has the opportunity to revisit teaching processes that you know well and to pursue with creativity rather than regarding it as your own research. Similarly, many institu- a chore. tions have budgets for lab instruction that Helping younger people understand the can help to pay the expenses of independent craft of science can also be highly rewarding. study students (undergraduates, summer Time spent mentoring younger colleagues visitors, even medical students); these young one-on-one, or in a workshop setting, can people could come to your own lab and help make a significant contribution. One can with research questions of your choosing. also teach as far afield as pre-college, even elementary school. Big cities have benefited tremendously from the work of senior scientists who have worked with teachers to effect [T]here are ways to continue curriculum change or subject innovation.4 research, albeit at a slower pace, Such efforts can be a big commitment, but without the pressure of competing even occasional volunteer work as a tutor in a school can make a significant difference to a for major research grants. few students and provide a valuable alternative to continuing your customary work. The issue of volunteering brings up two The point is that there are ways to continue complicated subjects. One is finances, since research, albeit at a slower pace, without the working without compensation is a luxury pressure of competing for major research that not everyone can afford. Universities, the grants. Such changes can readily be initiated, Teacher’s Insurance and Annuity Association,5 given the independence that accompanies and many investment companies offer infor- outgrowing the need for further professional mation and guidance about financial plan- advancement. ning for retirement. Attending seminars or Some older scientists find that a new per- workshops by several such organizations is spective on teaching can provide a change sensible, since it provides multiple view-

------CHAPTER 1 • ACADEMIC CAREERS 15 points and demystifies this planning process. the greatest opportunities offered by late Such interactions may reduce one’s sense of career flexibility is the chance to explore dependency and can provide assurance that activities, fields, and ideas for which there resources in retirement will be sufficient. has previously been no time. Retired peo- One’s retirement package can stretch even ple often talk about their opportunities for further if one undertakes something adven- travel, reading, attending lectures, music, turous, like working as a volunteer teacher in and sociability. For someone who has led a poor country. Living costs in the developing an intensely focused life in science, such world are so low that a retired American can “opportunity” may sound foreign, even ter- live very graciously on modest resources. It rifying. This is why a gradual transition is rare that a school or university in such a may be important for capitalizing on the country can pay a salary, but a volunteer is opportunities of late career development. almost certain to be welcomed with gratitude As one ages, life will change, of this there and enthusiasm. Such opportunities can be is no question. With luck, the changes will organized independently, through Internet not be crippling ill health but instead the and email, but Fulbright,6 the Peace Corps,7 chance to explore and enjoy things one cares and several nongovernment organizations8 about and finds worthwhile. Emerging from can also help. a total focus on a specific field of science The second issue related to volunteering is can include elements of metamorphosis and freedom. It is easy to view the winding down ecdysis that will allow the spreading of new- of professional activities as a loss of privilege found wings. and power. Certainly some valuable things Underlying the issue of late career transi- will go, but constructive additions can com- tion is the fact that although our country’s pensate. A reduced professional load can investment in science is large, it is not infi- provide freedom that is simply not available nite. A grant to a senior scientist is money under the pressure of competitive paper- and not given to someone younger; a position grant-writing. This suggests that an impor- occupied by an old-timer is one not filled tant part of late career thinking should be by a beginner. Some senior scientists claim identifying the things that you would like that they have always been underpaid, and if to initiate. they are now earning more for less work, it’s about time and they deserve it. Frankly, I disagree. Most of us have done science because Emerging from a total focus we wanted to. Earning a good, middle-class wage for following one’s own interests is an on a specific field of science appropriate reward. At some point it makes can include elements of sense to bow out and give someone else a metamorphosis and ecdysis chance. The above generalities hardly constitute a that will allow the spreading of plan, but they do contain a message: If you new-found wings. build upon your career in science to identify and/or generate opportunities for exploration, it is possible to make and use freedoms Some people think of new activities in that will enrich the latter part of your career, terms of hobbies while others think of new potentially making it one of the best stages of academic projects. The point is that one of your life. n

16 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS III ------THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR CELL BIOLOGY

References 1. For an analysis of the policies found in many American universities, see www.aaup.org/ AAUP/Issues/retirement. 2. Handelsman J. et al. (2004). Scientific Teaching. Science 304, 521–522. 3. See, for example, http://srri.umass.edu/perg. 4. See, for example, www.nas.edu/rise. 5. www.tiaa-cref.org. 6. www.iie.org. 7. www.peacecorps.gov. 8. www.crossculturalsolutions.org or www.iearn.org.

------CHAPTER 1 • ACADEMIC CAREERS 17 18 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS III ------2. ALTERNATIVE SCIENCE CAREERS

From Lab to Law

Science through Words

Science Libraries Want You!

Exploring a Career at the NIH Center for Scientific Review From Lab to Law

hat comes after the laboratory work, the experiment design and redesign, and months Wand years of bench work? For many inventions, the completion of work in the laboratory marks the beginning of another stage in development: patent protection and possible commercialization.

In many cases, the value of a particular product, or even an entire company, is defined primarily by the strength of the patents covering the product or owned by the company. Amanda T. Barry The Proctor & Gamble Company A patent is a written document that gives legal rights to an invention. It is valuable because it allows the patent-holder to exclude others from making, using, selling, offering for sale, or importing the patented invention for a period of 20 years from the date the patent is filed. In many cases, the value of a particular product, or even an entire company, is defined primarily by the strength of the patents covering the product or owned by the company. Some patents, such as those protecting blockbuster pharmaceuticals, are valued in the billions of dollars. Because patents, especially those in chemistry and biotechnology, can cover complicated scientific discoveries and principles, a patent practitioner may need specialized skills, and sometimes hold a master’s degree or doctorate in the field of their practice. In addition to lawyers with a specialized background, many law firms, corporations, universities, and the government employ scientists with chemical and bio- technological experience to work on patent matters as technical advisors and patent examiners. Both lawyers and non-lawyers are eligible to take the patent bar

20 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS III ------THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR CELL BIOLOGY

exam for admission to practice before the negotiates with the PTO, ideally to obtain a United States Patent and Trademark Office patent that covers the intended invention. (the “PTO”). Patent prosecutors learn and write about A patent practitioner can provide services cutting-edge science in a variety of areas, including identifying patentable inventions often long before public disclosure or publi- and preparing and obtaining the patents, cation, and they reap the rewards of working providing legal advice, and litigating issues with inventors and companies to see ideas related to patents. In order to prosecute a transformed into valuable assets. patent application, a scientist or lawyer needs only to pass the patent bar exam and be admitted to practice before the PTO. On the Patent attorneys work with other hand, only attorneys licensed to practice law may provide legal advice and litigate pat- clients to develop a strategy for ent issues; non-lawyers can assist attorneys in protecting new and existing these areas. products; to evaluate publications and patent filings in a certain Patent applications usually area of science; [and] to prevent include detailed explanations of accidental loss of rights…. the relevant science and specific

experimental protocols and data Patent attorneys also provide legal advice and an explanation of how the related to patents. This advice can include invention is novel and unobvious analysis of a patent to determine if it covers a certain product, if the patent is likely to compared with prior inventions be upheld if challenged in a lawsuit, and/or and publications in the field. whether or not a particular product or method can be used without infringing on patents held by a third party. Patent attorneys work The bedrock of patent law is the drafting with clients to develop a strategy for protect- and procurement of patents, termed “patent ing new and existing products; to evaluate prosecution.” Many patent attorneys pros- publications and patent filings in a certain ecute patents, as do most, if not all, technical area of science; to prevent accidental loss advisors. Patent prosecution involves learning of rights, such as where details of an inven- about the invention and the related technol- tion are inadvertently presented or published ogy, usually from the inventor, and writing prior to the filing of a patent application; and the patent application, which may be 50 pages to develop internal procedures for memorial- or more. Patent applications usually include izing inventive data and documents in case of detailed explanations of the relevant science future patent challenges. When a company or and specific experimental protocols and data invention is bought or sold, or an invention and an explanation of how the invention is is licensed, patent attorneys research and novel and unobvious compared with prior analyze the strength of existing patents or inventions and publications in the field. After pending patent applications. Patent attorneys the application is prepared and filed with the can also be instrumental in preparing and PTO, the patent attorney or technical advisor negotiating license agreements.

------CHAPTER 2 • ALTERNATIVE SCIENCE CAREERS 21 Patent attorneys often work on litigation Thus, once an invention is defined by scien- concerning patent issues. Examples of such tists in the laboratory, the invention can enter litigation may include a patent holder suing the legal arena, beginning with the filing of an alleged infringer who is unlawfully mak- a patent application and potentially involving, using, or selling the patented invention; ing licensing, commercialization, and even a dispute between two scientists who both litigation. n believe they are inventors of a particular invention; or a controversy over alleged theft Resources of an idea. In addition to courtroom-related www.ipcounsel.com. activities, litigation work often involves ana- www.mayerbrownrowe.com/biotech. lyzing documents and working with scientists www.uspto.gov. and other witnesses to piece together the history of an invention or idea.

22 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS III ------Science through Words

o you want to be in science writing. How do you get started? The good news is that you Salready have: Writing and critical thinking are integral to the effective scientist, so you are already no doubt honing the necessary skills to be a science writer. The transition from doing research to writing about research can be as easy or as complicated as you like, whether you just launch into it, or prefer to try an internship, or assemble more official credentials.

Writing and critical thinking are integral to the effective scientist, so you are already no doubt honing the Pamela J. Hines American Association for the necessary skills to be a science writer. Advancement of Science You may not initially have a fluid writing style or even, perhaps, fluent English. But your writing will improve with practice and in response to continued critique: Take every opportunity to write, and be receptive to critiques of your writing. And, if English is not your most fluent language, consider that there are opportunities for science writing in other languages, as well as a particular niche for writers who understand technical topics and can bridge linguistic and cultural complexities.

Take every opportunity to write, and be receptive to critiques of your writing.

A good way to develop your skills is to offer short articles for the general public to your local newspaper or your university’s alumni magazine. Small projects fit in around your research and might help you get a feel for whether or not you enjoy science writing.

------CHAPTER 2 • ALTERNATIVE SCIENCE CAREERS 23 There are also organized opportunities to “track changes” on the computer file) to enter the field. The American Association for text. These edits might concern word usage, the Advancement of Science (AAAS) offers but are also likely to address organization, a summer fellowship suitable for graduate missing arguments, hyperbolic statements, students or postdocs to immerse themselves or other issues of quality, content, and style. at places such as The Chicago Tribune or Copyeditors may tend to focus more on National Public Radio. The week-long Santa grammar, spelling, punctuation, and sentence Fe science writing workshop brings aspiring structure. And there are those who research and actual science writers together, so that how science communication happens, in prospective writers can enjoy expert cri- departments of technical communication or tiques of their writing as well as get to know schools of information science. some leading science writers. The year-long Editors decide what content pieces are cho- science writing program at the University sen to make up the whole website, or maga- of California, Santa Cruz, takes those with a zine, or newspaper section. Thus “editor” science background and develops their skills means much more than marking up others’ in writing and editing through coursework work—it also includes filtering an onslaught and internships. of information (or submitted articles, or story A switch from bench research to science proposals) to decide what pieces together journalism may result in changes in the way make an effective publication. If the parent you feel about ownership of your work. You organization has unique goals for its publica- will now be talking not about your own tion, as an advocacy group might have for its research results, but rather about results that website, the editor is key to accomplishing other scientists have produced. However, it these goals. will be up to you to identify a topic that might be worth watching and to develop your infor- mational resources, whether through a first- Science writing may be a hand experience with a dive in a deep-sea less predictable career than is submersible or with a world-wide network academic science. This does not of reliable scientific contacts. Ultimately, your output will be how you bring the story suggest absence of employment, together, from background research to the but rather that the road map can final text. be nonlinear. A sense of how science works and what it is like to be a scientist will give a solid foundation to your articles. You will likely address Science writing may be a less predictable a much broader variety of topics than you career than is academic science. This does not would have as a researcher, so unbridled curi- suggest absence of employment, but rather osity and being able to get up to speed quickly that the road map can be nonlinear. Science on a new topic will serve you well. writers or editors have gone on to positions Writers might pitch, develop, and write as diverse as executive director for a nonprofit stories for newspapers, radio, television, for scientific association, or organizer of scientific a university press office, or for the newsy sec- meetings and workshop programs. Science tions at the front of various scientific research writing itself may include cultures as differ- journals. Editors might edit others’ writing, ent as book publishing, working for a zoo or applying red pen (or more likely these days, aquarium, or working freelance from home.

24 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS III ------THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR CELL BIOLOGY

What exciting new research is just around the corner? What is the nitty gritty of how Organizations for Science it works? How does it fit into the larger Writers and Editors context of policy and societal implications? ■■ National Association of Science Writers And how can I possibly explain all of that to www.nasw.org a non-expert audience in 800 words or less, ■■ Council of Science Editors due tomorrow? Such is the challenge for the www.councilscienceeditors.org science writer. n ■■ Society for Scholarly Publishing www.sspnet.org ■■ European Association of Science Editors www.ease.org.uk ■■ Society for Technical Communication http://stc.org

Workshops, Classes, Programs in Science Writing ■■ PSP Journals Boot Camp www.pspcentral.org ■■ Stanford Professional Publishing Course http://publishingcourses.stanford.edu ■■ AAAS Mass Media Fellowships www.aaas.org/programs/education/ MassMedia ■■ UC-Santa Cruz Science Writing http://scicom.ucsc.edu/SciWriting ■■ Santa Fe Science-Writing Workshop http://sciwrite.org

Resource for Science Writers ■■ AAAS Press Room www.aaas.org/news/press_room

------CHAPTER 2 • ALTERNATIVE SCIENCE CAREERS 25 Science Libraries Want You!

re you looking for a career change? Would you like to explore a field that needs people with Ayour background, provides room for advancement, has openings across the world, and allows you to combine cell biology with new skills? If so, you might be interested in learning more about science librarianship. There is a growing need for librarians who have subject specialties in science. In fact, libraries often find hiring librarians with strong science backgrounds difficult. With a Ph.D. and/or research background in cell biology, you will stand out when applying for jobs in academic, corporate, and government libraries whose patrons have scientific information needs. Cindy Boeke Southern Methodist University The Science Librarian’s Role “I do believe science backgrounds will be very valuable, especially for librarians who work closely with researchers,” says Jean Shipman, Associate University Librarian, VCU Libraries, Virginia Commonwealth University, and President of the Medical Library Association (MLA). “As more and more data is produced by research, the need for organizing this mas- sive volume of data can be met by the skills offered by a librarian. Having the science knowledge base to be able to understand the data will be critical in order to properly organize it.” In a university setting, science librarians often serve as liaisons with science departments. Take the example of Michele Tennant, Bioinformatics Librarian with the University of Florida’s (UF) Health Science Center Libraries and the UF Genetics Institute. Tennant received her Ph.D. in Biology and then earned a Master of Library Science (MLS) degree from the library school at the University of California, Los Angeles. She is a liaison to the most “genetic” of the College of Medicine’s (COM) basic science departments (Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Physiology and Functional

26 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS III ------THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR CELL BIOLOGY

Genomics, Biochemistry and Molecular If you’ve read this far and are still inter- Biology, and Anatomy and Cell Biology), as ested in starting a career as a science librar- well as the COM’s Interdisciplinary (Ph.D.) ian, it is likely that the only thing standing Program in Biomedical Sciences. between you and your dream library job is “Much of my time is spent teaching the the MLS degree that many (but not all) library libraries’ clients how to use genetics and jobs require. There are 56 American Library molecular biology fact-based databases, such Association–accredited library schools in the as GenBank and BLAST,” she explains. “I U.S. Several of them offer the degree online. teach in the first-year medical student cur- Many programs have jobs for graduate assis- riculum, a Ph.D.-level bioinformatics course, tants that pay a stipend and cover tuition and undergraduate classes in biophysical costs. You can finish your degree in as little as chemistry and general genetics. I am respon- a year, although two years is the norm. sible for collection development and deter- The library field needs people like you mine which new resources to purchase in the to provide high-quality services to its sci- basic sciences. I provide in-person, phone, ence communities. “The knowledge I gained and email reference and consultation services through my biology Ph.D. program, coupled related to genetics/bioinformatics resources, with the MLS degree, has allowed me to devel- serve on the UF Genetics Institute’s Executive op fruitful collaborations with research faculty, Committee, run its seminar series and lead its postdocs, and graduate and undergraduate Web page development team, and serve on students,” Tennant emphasizes. If you pursue the curriculum committee for the university’s a career in science librarianship, your back- fledgling genetics Ph.D. program.” ground in science will be highly valued by your employer, and you will use your science Accelerated Need, Good background and knowledge to help others find Opportunity the information they need to succeed. n Informatics—the organization, analysis, management, and use of information in health Note care—is a growing area of information sci- Boeke is the former Assistant Director of ence as well. “The need [for librarians with Digital Resources, ASCB. science backgrounds] is accelerating with bioinformatics and biocomputational efforts. Resources The need is also prevalent within the phar- American Library Association: http://ala.org. maceutical research and development areas,” Click on Education and Careers to access job boards for ALA as well as the Association of says MLA’s Shipman. “The combination of a College and Research Libraries. science background and information discov- ALA List of Accredited MLS programs: ery and retrieval skills constitutes the skill set www.ala.org/ala/educationcareers/education/ of a research ‘informationist.’” accreditedprograms/directory/list/index.cfm. Often, library jobs provide long-term securi- Association of Research Libraries Annual Salary ty, potential for promotion, and excellent ben- Survey: www.arl.org/bm~doc/ss07.pdf. efits. Academic librarians typically are placed American Medical Informatics Society: on a tenure track, and are expected to conduct www.amia.org; For jobs: www.amia.org/inside/ jobex/joblist.asp. research, teach, and provide community ser- Biofeedback. Newsletter from Biomedical vice. Salaries are typically at least as much as and Life Sciences Division, Special Libraries or higher than postdoc stipends. The number Association: http://units.sla.org/division/dbio/ of job opportunities in the field is growing. publications/pubs/biofeedback/index.html.

------CHAPTER 2 • ALTERNATIVE SCIENCE CAREERS 27 Biomedical and Life Sciences Division, Special Libraries Association: http://units.sla.org/division/dbio. Gilman, Todd: columns in the Chronicle.com (document the transition of an English Ph.D. into the realm of academic librarianship). Informationist/Information Specialist in Context Concept: www.mlanet.org/research/informationist. Journal of the Medical Library Association focus issue on building the role of medical libraries in bioinformatics: www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/ tocrender.fcgi?iid=133339. Medical Library Association: http://mlanet.org. For jobs: www.mlanet.org/jobs/jobs.html. Medical Library Association: Medical Informatics Section: www.medinfo.mlanet.org. Medical Library Association: Section websites: www.mlanet.org/sections/sections.html. Special Libraries Association: www.sla.org. Click on Career Centers to view jobs at corporate, government, and other special libraries.

28 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS III ------Exploring a Career at the NIH Center for Scientific Review

or a variety of reasons, scientists at all career levels may want to look into alternative career Fchoices. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) offer a range of positions in which a scientist can contribute to the mission of advancing science through an administrative role. This article will discuss some of my experiences as a Science Review Officer (SRO) at the NIH Center for Scientific Review (CSR). My colleagues include scientists and clinicians with a range of experience, including individuals who left the lab bench after finishing postdoctoral research, former faculty who ran an academic lab (like me), and a former director of an entire research institute.

Charles Dearolf The primary function of an SRA is National Institutes of Health to ensure fair, expert, and timely reviews—so that NIH can fund the most promising research.

What We Do No surprise here, we organize the review of grant applications, although we do not make funding decisions. The NIH review process is two-tiered. One group (most often CSR) handles the review to determine scientific and technical merit. Afterwards, the specific Institute or Center determines whether to fund, based on the review score, overall priorities, and public health needs. The primary function of an SRO is to ensure fair, expert, and timely reviews—so that NIH can fund the most promising research. To demonstrate how this is accomplished, I’ll describe the duties involved for a “typical” R01 research application review panel, which meets three times each year. First, we attempt to make sure that each application is assigned appropriately to the study section. For

------CHAPTER 2 • ALTERNATIVE SCIENCE CAREERS 29 some applications, the study section choice process, communicate with the applicants is fairly obvious. Other applications could be about supplemental materials, and make sure reviewed by any one of several panels. We the reviewers complete their initial critiques read through and consider the applications, and scores before the meeting. We also deal and, when necessary, interact with other with issues that may arise, such as the occa- SROs and the Receipt and Referral Office to sional reviewer who withdraws from the find the most appropriate home. In addition, panel and must be replaced, or the hotel that some investigators contact us to discuss their “lost” reviewer room reservations and now assignment, either in advance of submission has no rooms available. or after notification of assignment. At the study section meeting, the SRO serves as the NIH representative and “Designated Federal Official,” while the panel chairper- son manages the reviews. The SRO ensures … some investigators contact that the review runs according to appropri- us to discuss their assignment, ate procedures, and provides administrative either in advance of submission guidance when necessary. Much of our efforts at the meeting are spent taking notes on the or after notification of discussions, as these will be used in writing assignment. the summary statements. Many SROs also organize and attend a dinner (or some other social function) with the review scientists. We next need to obtain the appropriate After the meeting, SROs complete a num- reviewers for the upcoming meeting. This ber of administrative tasks. For example, they will be a combination of regular members calculate and disseminate the final scores to and newly recruited ad hoc members. The the applicants. The summary statements need panel covers certain areas of science every to be compiled and released within 30 days of round, so the SRO assembles a roster of regu- the meeting. lar members to provide this expertise. These Things can get busy. SROs usually handle hardy scientists agree to a four-year hitch multiple panels each cycle. Also, the cycles on the panel, and the SRO updates the panel overlap, so that the time for summary state- every year. Each review round, the SRO also ment preparation coincides with the arrival recruits ad hoc members to provide addi- of the next round’s applications. We have tional areas of expertise, and to substitute for additional duties and opportunities, such as the regular members who cannot attend that attending scientific meetings, recruiting for round. Recruiting involves a combination of and preparing the regular roster, and internal persistence, networking, and sometimes plain meetings/training sessions within CSR. old good luck. Having recruited the panel members, the Life at CSR vs. Life in the Lab SRO then assigns applications to each review- There are many similarities in CSR and lab er, and sends the applications and supporting work. SROs work relatively independently, materials approximately four to six weeks within the overall constraints of their respon- before the meeting. From this time until the sibilities. We keep up with the progress of sci- actual meeting, the SRO carries out activities ence, though on a broader scale, attend scien- to ensure that the meeting and review run tific meetings, and interact with scientists. (As smoothly. We orient new reviewers to the a representative of NIH, I find that scientists

30 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS III ------THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR CELL BIOLOGY

invariably return my emails and messages!) although we are subject to the vicissitudes of Writing skills are necessary for the compila- government. We are out of the lab and not tion of summary statements, which could be following up on our own ideas, but we do described as a combination of original text get a first look at future research in multiple and abstracting. areas. And we get to learn lots of government acronyms!

We keep up with the progress Obtaining a Job at CSR of science, though on a broader Successful applicants for an open position usu- scale, attend scientific meetings, ally have faculty-level experience, either as an independently funded academic researcher and interact with scientists. or as an industrial researcher. The strongest candidates also have reviewing experience, There are differences and trade-offs too. either for NIH or for alternate funding agen- While there are deadlines, the pace of work is cies. SRO positions are advertised as they overall more relaxed, and SROs have the time become available. and energy to get involved in activities out- Information about current job openings is side of work. There is financial security that available through the CSR website, http:// comes from being a government employee, cms.csr.nih.gov/AboutCSR/Employment. n

------CHAPTER 2 • ALTERNATIVE SCIENCE CAREERS 31 32 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS III ------3. THE HEAD GAME

Strategies for the Shy

Becoming Visible: Effective Self-Promotion Strategies for the Shy

ost people feel anxious in at least some social situations, and as many as 50% of people surveyed will describe themselves M1 as shy. And, let’s face it, science has the reputation of a solitary field, and attracts more introverts than, say, social work. (In fact, many girls, when asked why they choose not to go into math or science, say these fields

Let’s face it, science has the reputation of a solitary field, and attracts more introverts than, say, social work.

2 Vivian Siegel are not social enough ). Yet there is a social fabric to Vanderbilt University science, and the ability to interact with others, both casually and professionally, is critical to the work of a scientist and her enjoyment of it. This is true throughout one’s career: It is as important for the head of a lab to step out of her office and interact with her students as it is for the student to approach and interact with her colleagues and potential mentors. Even though a large fraction of people self-identify as shy, most are not obviously shy to others. Only extreme cases of shyness are visible as such, like in the unusual situation of someone who bows her head and

The reticence that shy people feel is often misinterpreted as disinterest or arrogance.

avoids eye contact in conversation. The reticence that shy people feel is often misinterpreted as disinterest or arrogance. Even for the shy, not every social interaction leads to anxiety. One can be perfectly comfortable giving semi-

34 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS III ------THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR CELL BIOLOGY

nars and speaking with people one-on-one, spontaneous you seem. This is true for but feel awkward at a dinner party or other interactions with students at all levels. social engagement in group conversation. It is important to identify which situations make you anxious and to work out ways in which The more you do your you can navigate those situations as comfort- homework, the less spontaneous ably as possible. Here are some approaches that can help the shy feel more comfortable you have to be, and the more and get more out of daily social interactions. spontaneous you seem.

• Set achievable goals. If you are going to a meeting, it may be too much to ask • Get practice. There are numerous options yourself to meet everyone, but you can set for learning and practicing social skills. yourself the goal of meeting two people a The career counseling office at your uni- day. Knowing how you will enter and end versity may offer sessions on successful the conversation will make this task even networking. Take advantage of courses easier. Ask if this is their first time at the that offer the opportunity to be videotaped meeting or how the meeting has changed giving seminars. Or join Toastmasters,3 a since they first attended it. End by intro- nonprofit organization that teaches public ducing your companion to someone else, or speaking and leadership skills. by excusing yourself to meet others, while voicing your interest in staying in touch • Take advantage of friends and mentors. (make sure to note their contact informa- Ask them to critique mock interviews, tion). During the conversation, aim to learn listen to practice talks, and introduce you something personal about them, so that the to someone you want to meet. The best next time you meet them, you have a start- friends and mentors are those who offer ing point for conversation. It helps to keep constructive comments and not just reas- a list of meeting participants to jog your sure you. Help your mentor be forthcom- memory at some future occasion. ing by inviting critical comments.

• Come prepared. Have you ever noticed • Act the part. When people spend time in a how much easier it is to give a seminar foreign country, they can find that speak- once you have made the PowerPoint pre- ing a new language and being surrounded sentation? While PowerPoint may be over- by people who don’t know them allow kill for personal interactions, there is noth- them to take on a new, more gregarious ing wrong with deciding in advance what persona. The brain is plastic, and the more to talk about, what questions you want to you act a part, the more it will become a ask, and so on. Attending a seminar with part of you. questions already in mind is a lot easier than figuring out what you want to ask • Schedule time to speak with others. If it during the seminar itself. Similarly, if you is hard to just introduce yourself to other are on a job interview, think about possible people at a meeting, arrange in advance to points of mutual interest before arriving. meet with them at specified times. This is a The more you do your homework, the less good strategy even for the extrovert. spontaneous you have to be, and the more

------CHAPTER 3 • THE HEAD GAME 35 • Volunteer to lead. It’s common to feel like • Take time for yourself. When you are self- you have nothing to say at a large table of conscious, interactions can be exhausting. scientists. If you come to that table with Reward yourself with needed alone time, an agenda (leading a group discussion, whether to curl up with a good book or to finding out about the goals of the students spend several hours at the microscope. at the table), you will surprise yourself with your ability to carry the conversation • Smile. It will help you relax and signal forward. For those who have career experi- to others that you value the time they are ences to share, the WICB networking lunch spending with you. n is a wonderful place to practice being a “table leader.” References • It’s not all about you. If about half of the 1. Carducci B, Zimbardo P. (1995). Are you world describes itself as shy, then it is as shy? Psychology Today Nov./Dec. likely as not that the person you are trying 2. Presented at the Society for Research in Child to talk to is having an equally hard time Development by J. Eccles, April 9, 2005. talking to you. Just as you are wondering 3. www.toastmasters.org. what this person thinks of you, so too is she wondering what you think of her. If you can do something to make the other person feel at ease, you will feel easier, too.

36 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS III ------Becoming Visible: Effective Self-Promotion

eing a young scientist yourself, you observe other young scientists and wonder how they Bwere selected as the award winners, the symposium speakers, the review writers, the committee members, and Councilors of the ASCB. How did they become visible enough to be acknowledged and invited? The answer has many different parts, but you can be sure that one aspect has been effective self-promotion. The term self-promotion may evoke images of boor- ish, boastful, bombastic behaviors by scientists “more skilled in public relations than in research.”1 However, self-promotion can simply entail effective networking to introduce oneself, and one’s work, to other scientists Caroline Kane by a variety of means. After all, communication is the University of California, engine of scientific discovery. Peer-reviewed publica- Berkeley tion provides the credibility for the description of the science, but there are myriad other ways for communicating one’s work, ideas, and relationship to the scientific community as well.

Peer recognition … is also noticed by others who might be in charge of your next promotion, or on the panel reviewing your next grant, or chairing a symposium organizing committee.

One way to become better known is by receiving an award. Peer recognition for achievements and discoveries is not only gratifying, it is also noticed by others who might be in charge of your next promotion, or on the panel reviewing your next grant, or chairing a symposium organizing committee. Nominations for awards are often done with the goal of surprising the recipient, but far more often, the nominee is asked

------CHAPTER 3 • THE HEAD GAME 37 for materials in support of the nomination. context is initially too intimidating, speaking “Given the unsupervised nature of much of one-on-one with the speaker after the talk what we do…I am really in the best position is a fine alternative. There will be interest in to describe… my work most effectively.”2 your question, in your ideas, and this positive reception may provide confidence for asking Invite Champions, Ask Questions group questions in the next forum. In some cases, a young scientist may learn There is also a way for speakers to help. about an award and ask a more senior sci- The seminar speaker can specifically call on entist to champion her or his nomination, people she or he does not know, or can in which case putting together a package encourage questions from the younger voices of materials facilitates the process for the in the audience. Such graciousness from a nominator. Indeed, many award selection more senior scientist can have a large impact. committees actively recruit nominations from their colleagues to maximize consideration of Understand Scientific Connection all worthy candidates. It is a fact that if one No matter how good one’s science may be, is not nominated, one certainly will not be there is always science that is better. Keeping considered. in mind how one’s own science connects to the science of others and adds value to the field can provide confidence at meetings. … good relationships, along That confidence is enough to start a conversation with a more senior or even a “famous” with good science, provide the scientist. If others join in, all the better, not networks for sustained career only for your visibility but also for sharing development. and critiquing ideas. Everyone benefits. Being loud and obnoxious works against anyone. Communicating clearly and interacting per- Although awards represent a good, if nar- sonably are key. row, opportunity for effective self-promotion, Poster sessions also are an excellent venue good relationships, along with good science, for becoming visible. Presenting posters provide the networks for sustained career provides the opportunity to give interactive development. In many training programs, “miniseminars.” Senior scientists can again be students and postdoctoral fellows are pro- positive participants here by listening to the vided the opportunity to meet with seminar description of the work and asking questions. speakers or even organize seminar series. Be The poster presenter will deeply appreciate active in these events so that you meet these this opportunity to interact and will also invited scientists. remember that visit. Going to the posters of other scientists is equally important since it Simply Asking provides practice in asking questions. One of the most difficult actions for a young scientist is simply asking a question in a Participate in Institutions, Societies department seminar or at a scientific meeting. All of these actions are suitable for any- Hearing one’s voice in a public forum can be one developing a career, including those in terrifying at first. Candid senior scientists will their first independent positions. In addition, note that if you missed a point, you can be sure scientists should seek opportunities to par- that others did too. Nonetheless, if the forum ticipate on committees, not only in their place

38 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS III ------THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR CELL BIOLOGY

of employment, but also in their scientific societies. Such committee service provides an From visibility comes influence, excellent opportunity for meeting others and a voice in the science, and a for sharing ideas and work habits. This “self- platform for encouraging the promotion” works best if not premeditated. Communication and developing relationships visibility of the next generations naturally provide visibility, and that visibility of scientists … provides valuable networking just as the networking provides valuable visibility. Effective self-promotion starts early and will intersect. From visibility comes influ- locally. The friends made in graduate school, ence, a voice in the science, and a platform for both students and faculty, form the first encouraging the visibility of the next genera- network. These scientists can provide a valu- tions of scientists who also will be wondering able core of contacts throughout one’s career. how people become known scientifically. n Staying in touch with friends comes naturally, and science provides many opportunities for References intersecting paths. Graduate school friends 1. Nelkin D. (1987). Selling Science: How the will distribute into multiple areas of science, Press Covers Science and Technology. W. H. Freeman. and in future years they will be providers of the names of scientists they know for awards, 2. Lang JM. (2003). Shameless Self-promotion. Chronicle of Higher Education 50(3), C4, symposium speakers, review writers, and September 12. society officers. Their networks and yours

------CHAPTER 3 • THE HEAD GAME 39 40 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS III ------4. COMMUNICATION

How to Write an Effective Letter of Recommendation

How to Read a Letter of Recommendation

Delivering an Effective Scientific Lecture

Email Etiquette How to Write an Effective Letter of Recommendation

he letter of recommendation is a ubiquitous fea- ture of that quaint custom of academic life and Tdeath known as “appointments and promotions.” In principle, letters of recommendation should provide important insights into a candidate’s character, scientific accomplishments, potential, personality, and general abilities.

A successful letter imparts the writer’s enthusiasm for an individual, but does so realistically, sympathetically, and with actual data to support the Ira Mellman writer’s contentions. Genentech, Inc.

However well-intentioned, too many letters fall short of this goal. All too often letters are nearly use- less. It is regrettable both for the candidates and for institutional committees when letters fail to provide accurate, fair, or transparently honest assessments or fail to place the candidate in proper perspective relative to his/her place in the field. Although many of us have come to understand this, committee group dynamic all too often results in letters being used as de facto decision-making tools: candidates are dismissed if a letter is deemed to contain coded negatives, dangerous since not all letter writers or nationalities use the same code. Alternatively, candidates can be elevated by unexplained laudatory comments from well- known luminaries. This, too, is dangerous, since not all letters are thoughtful, and many writers are afraid to say anything that it is at all negative. It is also easier and less time consuming to be positive than to provide thoughtful criticisms, especially for busy luminaries. A successful letter imparts the writer’s enthusiasm for an individual, but does so realistically, sympa-

42 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS III ------THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR CELL BIOLOGY

thetically, and with actual data to support the the CV to find out who someone is and writer’s contentions. It also gives the reader what they have done, then the writer may what he/she needs to make a wise decision, not be qualified. This is also the message and tries to convince the reader that you, the that should be communicated back to the writer, know what you are talking about. originator of the request. It is often useful, Also, remember your own credibility and however, to review the CV and interests of judgment are at stake. even the closest colleague. Before begin- The principle that guides nearly every ning to write, reflect a bit on the individu- aspect of this approach is also the simplest: al, his/her history and contributions, and write what you know. The better a writer your relationship with the person (wine or knows the work of the candidate, the better something even stronger often helps at this the resulting letter. That does not mean that stage of the process). the letter will be more “positive,” but rather that it will be more honest and transparent, describing and balancing the various attri- [N]ot everyone can be the best butes and limitations of the candidate. As such, it will provide more useful information postdoc or student you have to the committee. ever had. Committees know this, Everyone has good points and not-so-good so such statements can appear points, and unless the writer acknowledges and describes these clearly and fairly, the gratuitous: They should be stated resulting letter is less likely to have an impact. only if they are literally true. The letter will also be best received if it is written in an engaging fashion. This helps dis- tinguish your letter and candidate, and also • Summarize what you know about the keeps the reviewers from falling asleep. An candidate and why. Begin with a para- enthusiastically positive letter that is uncriti- graph introducing the candidate, how you cal may have less influence than a more bal- know them, their influence on the field, anced letter that is thoughtful and personal. and their most important scientific and Ironically, being fully honest about strengths personal characteristics. Remember, not and weaknesses allows the writer to be posi- everyone can be the best postdoc or student tive about everybody, but in a way that allows you have ever had. Committees know this, you to demonstrate clearly why you are posi- so such statements can appear gratuitous: tive. To paraphrase my first creative writing They should be stated only if they are liter- teacher: never tell what you can show. ally true. If you do make a comment like, Here are the general rules of constructing “Clio is one of the best students ever to almost any letter of recommendation: have walked the face of the earth,” the rest • Only write about people you know. A of the letter must provide credible support- senior investigator has an obligation of ing evidence for this claim. The goal is to course to write for any former student, fel- demonstrate that the writer knows the can- low, or staff member. On the other hand, didate well enough to make an informed one should be selective about writing on judgment, and that the judgment is objec- behalf of colleagues who may be in one’s tive. You want readers to take your opinion field but whose work is not well known to seriously. If not, why waste time writing in the writer. If a potential writer has to read the first place?

------CHAPTER 4 • COMMUNICATION 43 • Summarize the candidate’s work and through it). This is also a chance to present its context. Write one, two, or sometimes the candidate’s supporters on a committee even several paragraphs about the sub- with pre-packaged evidence (yes, academics ject’s work. One hopes that the committee like sound bites) to support their views in already knows what the candidate does, discussion. Be as laudatory and enthusiastic but this is not always the case (even if no as possible in this section, since enthusiasm one admits it). Moreover, and more impor- will always be self-limited by the stark real- tantly, it helps to define the person in the ity of an individual’s accomplishments.

• Summarize the candidate's personality. Do not enumerate facts and Does he/she play well with others? Have they been an important member of the specifics, individual papers laboratory or scientific community? Are (pointing out the number of they generous with time and effort? Give Science papers published is examples. Saying someone is a wonderful person is not enough since without obnoxious), or describe every last evidence, you are almost telegraphing that discovery this person has made. they are anything but wonderful. If the individual in question is a bit shy, cantankerous, argumentative, or tells bad jokes—features eyes of the readers. Do not enumerate facts that will come out soon enough in an inter- and specifics, individual papers (pointing view—always reveal this in writing, to help out the number of Science papers published mitigate the problem beforehand… that is, is obnoxious), or describe every last discov- assuming the problem can be mitigated. ery this person has made. Present the big picture, but without being superficial. This • Discuss extenuating circumstances. If a does a great service for your candidate: candidate has had personal difficulties to Having a knowledgeable “expert” place the overcome that had an effect on his/her candidate’s work in the context of the field career progress (children, illness, or family is something a candidate can never do him/ issues), or illustrates an aspect of personal herself without appearing obsequious, self- motivation, bring it up. It can be difficult serving, or unctuous. Clearly discuss how for the candidate to do so, and readers like the candidate has advanced understanding some personal insights. Obviously, do not and in what areas. By far the most impor- reveal details that might be of too personal tant piece of information to provide is the a nature, or have nothing to do with the extent to which someone’s work has influ- professional considerations at hand. enced the field or the work of others—even unknowingly. If you can say that a person • Evaluate the candidate’s potential. Also has done this at every stage of their career critical is how the writer feels the candidate (student, postdoc, junior faculty member), will do in the future, as an independent that is the single most important piece of investigator, postdoc, or recipient of a grant information you can relay to a committee. or award. Here again, it is possible to dis- Therefore spend most of your time and care cuss this topic logically and with objective supporting your contention that the candi- support: How does the picture painted lead date can walk on water (or at least wade to this conclusion?

44 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS III ------THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR CELL BIOLOGY

• Evaluate the candidate’s “suitability.” Consider the place the candidate wishes to go, or the objective of the grant/fellowship program to which he/she has applied. Leverage that knowledge to explain why the candidate is a good match for the job and institution. As always, it is much more effective to “show” this, rather than simply to state it. If the factual information does not sufficiently support the suitability argument, or if the writer cannot logically indicate good reasons for why the person is a good match, the committee does not have to read between the lines, since the lines will simply be missing. Of course, to ensure this, a future essay will consider, “how to read a letter of recommendation.” (See p. 46) n

------CHAPTER 4 • COMMUNICATION 45 How to Read a Letter of Recommendation

f everyone exercised rigorous thought in writing letters of recommendation,1 then it would be happily Iunnecessary to offer advice on how to read them. In this perfect world, all letters would be transparent, they would contain all of the information we need, and therefore they would not require interpretation. Unfortunately, we are not quite there yet. So, here is some humble advice on how to read recommendation letters in the real world.

As a mature evaluator, it is your obligation to independently and intellectually assess the quality of a Ira Mellman Genentech, Inc. candidate—not relinquish this solemn responsibility to unseen others.

Most importantly, always keep letters in perspective. Although some will provide honest, accurate, and useful assessments of a candidate, other letters will fall well short of the mark. The challenge for the reader is to dis- tinguish one from the other. The best training for reading a letter is knowing how to write one, but even this wisdom is not foolproof. Therefore, letters must never be used as a substitute for one’s own assessment of a candidate based on his/her accomplishments and ideas, or the impression he/she makes when interviewed. All too often, particularly when considering promotions, letters are taken as a substitute for a faculty’s collective judgment, with committees tending to use a stack of glowing letters as a crutch to support a positive decision rather than relying on their own, often more direct, observations. Conversely, if one or two letters in a pile are deemed “negative” (or anything less than embarrassingly enthusiastic), one or more committee members typically get spooked, losing

46 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS III ------THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR CELL BIOLOGY

confidence in their own assessments; or they assess this better than anyone else. Obviously, will use such letters as an excuse to derail a if the candidate is already an independent candidate they do not like but against whom investigator, the longer he or she has been on they could not otherwise make a persuasive their own, the less the committee need consid- argument. Even when well written, one must er the mentor’s assessment of the importance remember the obvious: Letters of recommen- of the candidate’s contributions. dation are inherently subjective. Unless an Deconstructing the process of letter writ- opinion of a candidate can be supported by ing provides a blueprint for reading a letter. convincing, objective, and factual arguments, Although subjective, effective letters are sup- be wary of placing too much emphasis on ported by actual evidence. If a candidate is what any writer has to say. deemed to be brilliant and creative, does the If letters are potentially so flawed, what letter make a convincing case based on the use are they? Why do we even bother? In candidate’s record or specific personal obser- actual fact, letters can be extremely important, vations? The extent to which this is or is not but only as one component of the evaluation the case should be in direct proportion to the process. Letters have two purposes; neither of weight you place on the letter. them is to on their own predominantly determine the fate of the candidate. First, when written by a close colleague or The number and prestige of mentor, a letter can provide helpful insight into a candidate’s motivation, thought pro- awards held by the letter writer cesses, personality, creativity, potential, inde- is almost always irrelevant. pendence, and ability to work with others. At the very least, this assessment should be used to sensitize a committee to look for certain The number and prestige of awards held by qualities in an interview: i.e., give committee the letter writer is almost always irrelevant. A members a chance to obtain primary data to thoughtless and dismissive letter by a famous test every aspect of the accuracy of the letter’s scientist (“since I do not have time to write, assessment. suffice it to say that I am wonderful and I Second, when written by a more “impartial” believe the candidate is wonderful, therefore expert (thesis committee member, outside ref- the candidate is wonderful”) is just as use- eree), a letter can provide a highly useful less as a similarly thoughtless letter from an opinion into the importance of a candidate’s unknown scientist. However, a thoughtful let- work in advancing knowledge and under- ter from a respected colleague who has a sense standing in a given field. This is especially of perspective can be incredibly valuable. helpful when the committee does not contain What else should one look for, or not look experts in the candidate’s area. A mentor can for? Here is a partial list: provide this information as well, but readers Code words. Many of us engage in an must beware that a mentor’s assessment may almost semiotic analysis of precise words be biased by the mentor’s interest in advanc- used, or not used, to describe a candidate. ing (even unintentionally) the perception of Is “outstanding” better than “excellent”? Is his or her own legacy and accomplishments. being “the best” in the field better than being With that disclaimer, a mentor’s evaluation of merely “one of the top three”? Does that a candidate’s place in the scientific universe mean the candidate is #3 and therefore not as can be valuable, as the mentor can probably good as #1? Are his/her contributions “solid,”

------CHAPTER 4 • COMMUNICATION 47 meaning boring and inconsequential? If we all otherwise is the product of what I call “The used the same codebook, this exercise would CNS Syndrome”: a condition in which let- be useful, but we do not. Therefore do not ter writers (and committee members) pay place much faith in this exercise. Even using morbid attention to how many papers were language and word choice to gauge overall published in Cell, Nature, or Science. CNS enthusiasm is dangerous, as different individ- Syndrome bequeaths to unknown reviewers uals exude enthusiasm in radically different and editors a disproportionate influence on ways. The guiding principle is to look for the the appointments and promotion process. evidence that substantiates the platitudes. As a mature evaluator, it is your obligation Comparisons. Another common technique to independently and intellectually assess that should be read with skepticism is the the quality of a candidate—not relinquish comparison: the candidate is as good as Drs. this solemn responsibility to unseen others. X and Y, but not as good as Dr. Z. This type When faced with a letter that goes out of its of information simply compounds the subjec- way to extol the number of papers a candi- tivity problem: Unless it is explicitly stated date has published in Cell, Nature, or Science why the contributions or other qualities of the (or even worse, in their F1 spawn), let the individuals mentioned distinguishes them reader beware. This can be an indication that from each other, you are just getting some- the writer is overly influenced by superficial one’s opinion, one which may or may not be rather than substantial considerations. On the better than your own. Some institutions even other hand, if extolling CNS publications is in ask for such comparisons in their requests for the context of a thoughtful description of why letters; these requests should be ignored. A the work is important, then it should be con- statement from an expert naming other play- sidered seriously. The guiding principle here ers in an area can be extremely useful, so you parallels the discussion above: The journal in (or an expert on the committee) can explore which a paper is published is only significant whether your candidate’s contributions are in the context of a substantive description of as exciting or high quality as those of his/her why the work is important. peers or colleagues. Time is precious. Some people are called upon to write a disproportionate share of letters, as well as to perform a variety of other community and professional responsibilities. “The CNS Syndrome:” a As a group, these individuals may not have condition in which letter writers as much time as they—or you as a reader— would like them to have to prepare their let- (and committee members) pay ters. Make allowances for this as you read. morbid attention to how many Dealing with negativity. It is rare that papers were published in Cell, one receives a truly “negative” letter; more common, we sometimes interpret as negative Nature, or Science. letters that merely include mention of a candidate’s shortcomings. There is a general pho- bia about being too honest; writers often fall Paper counting and the “CNS Syndrome.” victim to another disorder, The Mr. Rogers The number of papers matters less than their Syndrome: “Everyone is special.” Thus, a quality. Further, the journal that publishes a negative letter should be evaluated carefully paper is not a guarantee of quality. Believing and in the same way as one evaluates a posi-

48 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS III ------THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR CELL BIOLOGY

tive letter: Does the writer support his/her independently verify what it contains, and contentions with facts and objective observa- you agree that the negative features should tions? Does the writer have professional or affect your decision. Reading letters is the same as writing them: A believable and influential letter is one that A believable and influential letter gives an honest opinion based on demonstrable fact. The closer a given letter comes is one that gives an honest opinion to reaching this goal, the more influential it based on demonstrable fact. should be. At the same time, an evaluator must never ever allow a letter—or even a set of letters—to substitute entirely for her or his personal biases, even inadvertent ones? This own judgment. Doing so is intellectually lazy writer may be doing a difficult but honest and a recipe for making wrong decisions. n and helpful thing by alerting the reader to problems with a candidate, but he/she may Reference also just be expressing an opinion, however 1. Mellman I. (2005). How To Write an Effective deeply and honestly held, that may not coin- Letter of Recommendation. ASCB Newsletter 28 (5), 18–19. (See p. 42) cide with your own. Do not let even a truly negative letter kill a candidate unless you can

------CHAPTER 4 • COMMUNICATION 49 Delivering an Effective Scientific Lecture

ral presentation of research is one of the most important and sometimes feared aspects of Oa scientific life. Most young scholars have ample opportunity to make presentations in small or private settings, such as at group meetings and department retreats. As one builds a career, the occasions for such presentations in seminars and national meetings become even more important. Although many mentors stress the principles of an effective presentation, it remains a mystery why so many prominent investigators perform poorly in this regard. Unfortunately, it is quite rare for a one-hour lecture to hold the attention of an audience and to impart a limited and memorable

Randy Schekman University of California, The job of a public speaker, at least in Berkeley science, is to inform interested people from other fields and not simply to impress competitors.

conclusion. One principle that many speakers fail to embrace is the importance of empathy for the audience. The job of a public speaker, at least in science, is to inform interested people from other fields and not simply to impress competitors. The few real experts in any given audience are not the ones to address; the target should be those who come to learn something new and not those who have heard the subject over and over. An effective presentation begins in the planning stages. Many speakers attempt to stuff far too much into a seminar. Even an hour seminar should focus on one theme or perhaps two closely related ideas. The presentation should begin with a simple introduction for the uninitiated. Be sure to acknowledge the contributions of others in the field, and not only

50 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS III ------THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR CELL BIOLOGY

if they happen to be in the room. Follow develop a rapport with the audience and with a brief summary of the results to be can judge the level of interest from nods and presented and then build in layers until smiles or yawns and distracted daydreaming. the heart of a topic and the data are ready A friendly face in the audience can often dispel to be explained. Most speakers present far the anxiety that is quite natural in most, even too many slides and an excessive amount of experienced, public speakers. Use a pointer material, much more than any but the few with some precision to highlight a data point but not as a magic wand to bless the slide. Many speakers use humor or personal anec- An effective presentation begins dotes to leaven a presentation. Of course, such in the planning stages. asides can become excessive and distracting (mea culpa!). Here again, it helps to develop a personal bond with the audience. Take note of experts can comprehend. Slides should be the techniques and style of the best lecturers. limited in number; one every two minutes Mention the names of co-workers throughout of a presentation is a good place to start. a presentation and use anecdotes to personal- The slides should be designed for simplicity. ize the impact of their contributions. Where Every data point should be described and appropriate, practice a presentation in front each slide should not develop more than of friendly but critical peers. one experimental result. Figures from publications often do not make effective slides. Color can be an effective tool, but certain schemes are distracting and some combina- Clear and succinct responses tions provide poor contrast. A colorful pre- [to questions] reinforce the good sentation from a colorful personality may impression left from a well-paced be entertaining, but the final impact may be amnesia-inducing. Successful presentations and modest presentation. follow an arc progressing from the historical origin of an idea through the critical tests and the logical conclusion. Stick to a prescribed time limit. An excellent seminar spoils quickly when the speaker goes more than a few minutes over time. A Use a pointer with some well-paced seminar will conclude near the time limit with final results that round out the precision to highlight a data theme, a restatement of the conclusions, and point but not as a magic wand an indication of future directions. Although it to bless the slide. is typical to conclude with a list or picture of collaborators, the role of a student, postdoc, or colleague will be lost if he or she is not During the presentation itself, address the highlighted during the presentation. If time audience and not the screen. Speak slowly and format permit, the post-seminar ques- and clearly, again assuming most people do tion period presents another opportunity to not know the jargon of the field. Look for explain and highlight results and new direc- facial cues from the audience indicating com- tions. Questions from the audience must be prehension and attention. Effective speakers treated with respect and patience. Clear and

------CHAPTER 4 • COMMUNICATION 51 succinct responses reinforce the good impression left from a well-paced and modest presentation. Arrogance pays no dividends. Finally, enjoy the experience. An effective presentation and an appreciative audience can be one of the great pleasures of a life in science. n

52 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS III ------Email Etiquette

hy do we welcome email from some and not others? Which habits are endearing, Wand which annoying? What opportunities and pitfalls does email offer that paper letters and tele- phone conversations do not? What can we do to make our own correspondence easy to read and tempting to respond to? Following is a modest primer on email etiquette.

Do Not Send Gratuitous Messages Jokes can be a welcome break if they are received at just the right time and if they’re just the right jokes. But the confluence of these factors is rare. Don’t under- mine your reputation as a credible correspondent by Elizabeth Marincola circulating unnecessary messages. You want your cor- Society for Science & the Public respondents to know that when they receive a message from you, it’s substantive. Don’t exploit your address book to sell things. You do not want to develop a reputation for using the addresses of acquaintances for fundraisers or to sell commercial merchandise, no matter how special you think your friend’s homemade jewelry is.

[E]ven well-intentioned warnings or petitions should be circulated only with caution and if you can personally attest to their authenticity, or they come from an impeccable source known to the forwarder.

More seriously, even well-intentioned warnings or petitions should be circulated only with caution and if you can personally attest to their authenticity, or they come from an impeccable source known to the

------CHAPTER 4 • COMMUNICATION 53 forwarder. For example, missing children With regard to the latter, just apply the notices, stock tips, and political rumors are simple test: Does everyone need to know this? often misleading. It can be better to let an All of us have been on an email distribution opportunity go by than to inadvertently per- list, for example, for a child’s soccer team. petuate inaccuracies. The manager circulates a message that says, “Don’t forget that practice is today at 3:00 Hold Yourself to a Reasonable pm.” Fifty parents do not need to receive a Writing Standard message back from you that says, “Sorry, Email provides the opportunity to send mes- Bobby can’t make it today.” If this is informa- sages fast. But sometimes messages are sent tion that the manager needs to know, respond too fast. It is not necessary to write the Great American Novel, nor even to choose words and phrases as precisely as one would when writing a paper letter. On the other hand, [L]arge distributions go to if the message is important enough to con- committees to schedule meetings, sume the reading time of the recipient, then department faculty to remind a courtesy incumbent upon the writer is to at minimum read over the message to make sure members of a deadline, etc. Do not that the spelling, grammar, and punctuation waste the time of your colleagues are, if not perfect, at least decent. Long com- by telling the whole distribution, munications are best broken into multiple paragraphs. Similarly, multiple subjects are “I can attend on March 21 but best sent in separate emails. not on October 11….”

Do Not Include Others Carelessly There are two categories of inappropriately to the manager. Do not reply-to-all. Similarly, copying people on email messages. One is large distributions go to committees to sched- when doing so may be indiscreet or impolitic. ule meetings, department faculty to remind The other is when it is unnecessary and a members of a deadline, etc. Do not waste the waste of time. time of your colleagues by telling the whole With regard to the former, before copy- distribution, “I can attend on March 21 but ing others on correspondence, ask yourself not on October 11,” or “Thanks for letting me the following questions: Will doing so embar- know!” All correspondence should be on a rass or compromise the primary recipient, “need-to-know” basis. or others? Is my motivation to seize credit As a writer, you can prevent either of or display my cleverness, without a substan- these outcomes by using the blind field when tive reason? Might third persons interpret corresponding with multiple recipients for the message in a way that is unintended? standard messages. In this way, responders If the answer to any of these questions is cannot reply to everyone. “yes,” think carefully before copying your correspondence. Do Include Others When Email is considered ipso facto confi Appropriate dential. If there is any question that you The flip side to the overcopying problem is of should forward an email, check with the course undercopying. If you write an email originator first. that directly impacts the work of or refers to

54 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS III ------THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR CELL BIOLOGY

a third person, copy that person on the correspondence. Forwarding the message sepa- [A]n email sent to dozens of rately without a reason suggests to the person people that says, “can someone who should have been copied that you have please review this paper?” is easy changed the original language (the implica- tion being that you said something that would to ignore. Instead, an email that have been displeasing in the original cor- says, “Dear Carol, you are an respondence). It may also leave the primary expert in this field so I hope you recipient the impression that you are careless and/or inconsiderate. would be willing to review this paper” is much harder to dismiss.

[C]aveat scriptor (let the writer beware). The conventional (if cynical) wisdom is, “don’t write Be Personal In contrast to group notices about meet- anything in an email you’re not ing times, some communications are most willing to see attributed to you effective one-to-one. The more an email is in the New York Times.” or appears to be directed exclusively to one recipient, the more likely it is to be read and to receive a response. This is particularly important when you are asking the recipi- Do Not Use Email Every Time It ent to do something or otherwise imposing Occurs to You on him or her. Thus, an email sent to dozens If you are angry or emotional or just feel- of people that says, “can someone please ing loose, it is often best to wait to express review this paper?” is easy to ignore. Instead, yourself. And it is very often best to wait to an email that says, “Dear Carol, you are an express yourself by email. Even more than expert in this field so I hope you would be a hand-written or printed letter, a record of willing to review this paper” is much harder your words can be preserved for all time and to dismiss. forwarded forever, so caveat scriptor (let the writer beware). The conventional (if cynical) wisdom is, [M]any spam filters are “don’t write anything in an email you’re not willing to see attributed to you in the New programmed to eliminate emails York Times.” Also, bear in mind that standard that contain specified words employment law gives the employer the right in the subject line. This is a to view the work-based email of employees without consent or notification. While spying particular danger for biologists on students, staff, postdocs, or faculty is not who routinely use “prohibited” the usual practice of universities, remember words like “sex” and “sperm.” that it is at least a theoretical possibility before shooting off that angry, passionate, critical, or slanderous email.

------CHAPTER 4 • COMMUNICATION 55 Make Subject Lines Relevant and often lost in email translation, particularly “Clean” with persons you don’t know well. When Always create a subject line and make sure in doubt, either skip the humor or set it off that it addresses the topic of the email. This explicitly with signaling language, e.g., “my may seem unimportant when considering colleagues often tease me that I’d rather the message in isolation, but the practice work out at the gym than work in my lab.” facilitates the filing and retrieving of email The alternative, “I’d rather work out at the for both the sender and the recipient. Also, gym than work in my lab” could be taken many spam filters are programmed to elimi- literally by someone who does not know nate emails that contain specified words in you well. the subject line. This is a particular danger for biologists who routinely use “prohibited” words like “sex” and “sperm.” Be aware of Respect the confidentiality these filters and limit the detailed discus- entrusted to you, even if it sion of mating systems to the text of the message. is not clear to you why you were blind copied instead Be Aware of Technical of just copied. If you do Limitations Not everyone reads their email on DSL/ otherwise, you will establish T1 lines, especially not all the time. This is yourself as careless at best and especially true with the increased use of untrustworthy at worst. hand-held devices, which sometimes cannot handle attachments at all. Do not send simple brief text messages as attachments. If you must include an attachment, make sure that it Never Expose a Blind Copy is in a format that can be read by commonly If you are a “blind” recipient of correspon- used software programs (e.g., Word, Adobe dence, this means that the writer wants you Acrobat, .gif, .jpg.) to see the message but does not want those who are the primary recipients or cc’s of the message to know that you received it. Respect When writing, one “hears” or the confidentiality entrusted to you, even if it envisions the intended tone, is not clear to you why you were blind copied instead of just copied. If you do otherwise, but this is often lost in email you will establish yourself as careless at best translation, particularly with and untrustworthy at worst. persons you don’t know well. As a writer, use bcc’s cautiously (except for standard group communication as noted above). You can avoid blind-copying alto- gether by instead sending the message sepa- Use Humor Carefully rately to the intended blind recipient, with Humor, especially sarcasm and other subtle- a note that it is being sent in confidence. ties, often relies on tone and/or facial expres- This decreases the possibility that the blind sion to come off. When writing, one “hears” recipient will thoughtlessly embarrass all or envisions the intended tone, but this is concerned.

56 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS III ------THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR CELL BIOLOGY

Be Calm!!!!!!!!!!! cc’s, bcc’s). Are they the intended recipients? Exclamation points (!!), emoticons ( :-) ), col- Similarly, when forwarding an email, be sure ored, large or animated fonts, and CAPITAL you have scrolled down to the bottom of LETTERS FOR EMPHASIS are routinely over- the message so you are aware of everything used in email. Use them sparingly, if at all. being forwarded. Last paragraphs or post- Your message will be heard better if it is scripts have been known to be non sequiturs. understated and straightforward. Depending on what they are, you may regret having forwarded them, even if the rest of the Check Before You Click correspondence is relevant. n Many email programs have helpful features that populate the “To” fields with a name as Note soon as unique keystrokes are recognized. The author acknowledges with gratitude But a typo can result in embarrassing misdi- Ray Everngam, Ursula Goodenough, and rection. Before you press “send,” look again H. Robert Horvitz for helpful review and critique of this article. at all the send-fields (primary recipient[s],

------CHAPTER 4 • COMMUNICATION 57 58 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS III ------5. SCIENTIFIC CITIZENSHIP

Approaching the Critical Task of Peer Review

Revising Your NIH Grant Application Approaching the Critical Task of Peer Review

The Value of High-Quality Peer Review Virtually every published paper has benefited from, and been improved by, peer review. Reviewers help clarify and tighten my arguments. They catch large and small errors that would otherwise cause confu- sion. They point out worthwhile controls, or suggest new experiments that strengthen, and sometimes correct, initial interpretations. Thus, from my experience, as both author and editor, high- quality peer review is beneficial to the authors.

Objective and scholarly peer review Sandra Schmid ensures that the conclusions reported The Scripps Research Institute are fully justified by the data.

The greatest value of good peer review is, however, to the journal’s readers. Objective and scholarly peer review ensures that the conclusions reported are fully justified by the data. On a more subjective level, well- informed reviewers help editors prioritize and catego- rize papers, so that published manuscripts match the journal’s scope and objectives. Although the standards for objective peer review should be the same for all journals—specifically, referees should insist that the experiments be rigorously performed, and that the presented evidence is of sufficient quality and quantity to justify the paper’s conclusions—each journal has different goals that referees need to consider when they make their subjective recommendations. Some journals present scientific vignettes to communicate with interdisciplinary audiences. Others, like Molecular Biology of the Cell (MBC), publish complete and significant advances within a broad disci- pline. Still others are more focused on subdisciplines.

60 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS III ------THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR CELL BIOLOGY

Others function as archives for communicat- Step 3: Read the Paper ing important stepwise advances. As you do, try to take two views: Look for The subjective nature of peer review helps the big picture but also pay close attention match the scientific and conceptual advances to the details. The big picture view should reported in each paper with the appropriate form the basis of your subjective opinion. audience. This is a valuable task that helps Ask yourself the following questions. Has readers sift through the plethora of resources this paper taught me something useful and/ listed on PubMed for the kind of information or interesting? Would my students, postdocs, they seek. and colleagues find this information helpful? If the journal is interdisciplinary, then ask, How to Review a Paper would researchers outside this field benefit The following is a step-by-step guide to from reading these findings? reviewing papers, written from the perspec- At MBC we ask our referees to help us tives of an author, who will hopefully benefit prioritize papers by considering the following from your efforts, and an editor, who is seek- big questions: ing your advice before making a publication decision. With regard to the former benefi- 1) Does this study significantly advance ciary, my advice is to follow the Golden Rule: our knowledge, and/or provide new Treat others as you want to be treated, and concepts or approaches that extend keep in mind that you are communicating our understanding? with both your peers and their younger students and postdocs. 2) Are the advances presented of broad interest and significance to cell Step 1: Accept the Assignment biologists? Before you agree to review a manuscript ask yourself the following questions: In general, papers must satisfy both these Are you knowledgeable in this area of criteria to meet MBC standards. research? Do you have the expertise to As for the details, look carefully at all of the assess the methodology and results? Can data presented, including the supplemental you be objective in your criticism? Is there material and any movies, and at how the a conflict of interest? Lastly, can you meet experiments were performed. Is the approach your commitment to review the manu- or procedure appropriate? Are all the neces- script within the allotted time, usually sary controls in place? Is the quality of the one to two weeks? If you answer “no” to data sufficient? Pay attention to the axes of any of these questions, then decline and graphs; is the scale chosen to make small recommend someone you think might be differences look large? This is one of my more appropriate. pet peeves. Does the written description of the results match the data presented in the Step 2: Consider the Journal figures? Close inspection of these details will If you are not already familiar with the jour- allow you to determine if the conclusions and nal’s scope and philosophy, you can find interpretations are supported by the data. these on each journal’s home page. Many As you read, you should also assess how journals will include specific instructions to effectively the authors have communicated the referees regarding the criteria by which their findings. Again, at MBC, we ask refer- they prioritize manuscripts for publication. ees to assess whether the title and abstract

------CHAPTER 5 • SCIENTIFIC CITIZENSHIP 61 accurately reflect the content and conclusions or to invite resubmission. Importantly, you of the paper. This is critical given that the should not make a recommendation regard- title and abstracts available from a PubMed ing publication in your comments to the search direct readers to important papers and authors; instead reserve this opinion for your help them to prioritize their reading. Does the confidential remarks to the editor. introduction provide sufficient background Subsequent paragraphs should focus on to understand the significance of the findings the details. Generate a list of specific criti- that follow? Is it concise and relevant to the cisms and concerns (preferably numbered subject at hand? Are the results presented in and subdivided into major and minor con- a logical order? Are the experimental ratio- cerns) that justify your overall assessment of nales established? Are the important conclu- the paper and provide constructive feedback sions and their significance stated clearly and to the authors. If possible, be specific about concisely in the discussion? Are the findings suggested additional controls or experiments placed in a larger context? Is the work of needed to justify the conclusions. Is the sug- others considered and incorporated or inap- gested experiment doable and, if so, is it propriately ignored? Is there unnecessary worth doing, or will it only add incrementally repetition; can the author be more succinct? to the take-home message while unnecessar- ily delaying publication? If you disagree with an interpretation, be specific about alterna- tives. Check your work, as mistakes diminish … Avoid inflammatory language; your credibility to the author. remember the Golden Rule! Step 5: Make Confidential Remarks to the Editor Many journals have check boxes for pri- oritizing publication. Any recommendations Step 4: Write Your Review regarding publication should be communi- Adopt a professional and scholarly tone, and cated confidentially to the editor and not to avoid inflammatory language; remember the the authors. You might also indicate which of Golden Rule! In an opening paragraph, make your concerns are more or less critical for the a general statement describing the major con- authors to address. clusions of the paper and your overall assess- Peer review is our most important responsi- ment of their validity and significance. This bility. It epitomizes the scholarship and collegi- opening statement should reflect your “big ality that attract us to this profession. Although picture” view of the paper. These comments anonymous, it is often the most valuable form help the editor decide whether the paper’s of communication. As a frequent beneficiary of findings match her or his journal’s scope and peer review, I thank my colleagues for sharing objectives—and thus whether to reject a paper their efforts and advice. n

62 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS III ------Revising Your NIH Grant Application

s most everyone knows, the success rate for National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding Ais low for just about everybody right now. In this article, we focus on the key points to consider when you receive a score that is not in the “absolutely amazing” range, indicating that a revised application is needed. Since it is impossible to cover the subject in sufficient detail in a short article, we also refer you to several helpful books on grant writing (see Resources). So what to do when your wonderfully crafted, scientifically exciting application doesn’t get a fundable score from the study section?

Lakshmi A. Devi Mount Sinai School of Medicine Don’t take a nonfundable score personally. Keep in mind that most applications are not funded the first time through study section.

What to Do 1. Calm down. Don’t take a nonfundable score personally. Keep in mind that most applications are Lloyd D. Fricker not funded the first time through study section. Albert Einstein College of Medicine

2. Once you have read the summary statement and recovered from the shock, contact your program officer. Do not berate him or her with a tirade against the insane reviewers who didn’t understand your application. Instead, ask for helpful advice about what your next steps can be. A grant application that narrowly missed the payline is, on occasion, still funded if the NIH Institute staff feel that it provides a unique and important direction that will have a large impact on the field. Disease relevance helps but isn’t

------CHAPTER 5 • SCIENTIFIC CITIZENSHIP 63 essential. Some Institutes have bridging different study section if you can make funds if the score was within 10 points a convincing argument about why the of the current funding percentile. Even if previous one is not appropriate. Be care- your score is well outside the likely fund- ful in changing study sections, though: A able range, it helps to contact the program totally new group of reviewers may find officer to ask advice. There is a chance that 30 additional problems not mentioned your program officer attended the study by the first group, or otherwise be less section meeting when your grant was enthusiastic about your overall research discussed and took notes. If so, these will area. The phrase “out of the frying pan, be extremely valuable in rewriting your into the fire” may apply. application. Not all of the discussion that occurs during the review process makes its way into the summary statement; often Be appreciative of the there are one or two problems that the constructive advice offered, review committee deems fundamental, but which appear in the summary state- but don’t automatically make ment as a single sentence. all of the changes suggested by the reviewers. 3. Get advice from several colleagues. Do not be embarrassed by your score. Chances are they have also received a similar score at some point in their careers (or will in 5. Write a draft of the Introduction section. the future). Ask people whom you trust Then, tear this up and write another draft to give you an honest opinion, even if that does not attack the reviewers for they are not experts in your field. You their failure to recognize the brilliance of don’t want advice from people who will your previous application. Be apprecia- just agree with your assessment that the tive of the constructive advice offered, reviewers are brainless nematodes. You but don’t automatically make all of the want to ask people who can gently point changes suggested by the reviewers. If out that even though the reviewers may they really said something stupid (and be nematodes, they may have picked up your colleagues agree with you), then on areas that need to be revised. nicely point out why you are not heeding a piece of sage advice (references to pub- 4. Plan a strategy. Do you need more pre- lished papers help). The reason to start liminary data to make a convincing argu- with the Introduction first, and not the ment? Or can you address the points just actual application, is that reviewers usu- by adding a few more references, men- ally focus on the Introduction. Also, this tioning some solutions to potential prob- will provide a blueprint of the changes lems, or other minor writing changes? Do you need to make in the application. you think the study section that reviewed your application will ever be enthusiastic 6. Rewrite your application. Be sure to indi- enough to give your application an out- cate all changes that you make. Bold or standing score, or do you need another italic text is OK for short passages, but study section? It is possible to have your entire paragraphs of bold/italics can be revised grant application reviewed by a difficult to read, and a line in the margin is

64 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS III ------THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR CELL BIOLOGY

easier for the reviewers. Even if the same Resources people are not reviewing your applica- The first resource is a humorous look at tion, the new reviewers will want to see the grant writing and reviewing process what you changed. After rewriting your that includes serious advice. The others are serious advice books. application, go back to the draft of your Introduction and make sure you changed Fricker LD. (2004). How to Write a Really Bad everything you said you would. Grant Application (and Other Helpful Advice for Scientists). Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse.

7 Seek advice again from your trusted Friedland AJ, Folt CL. (2000). Writing Successful Science Proposals. New Haven: Yale University colleagues. In particular, ask them to Press. suggest changes in your Introduction to Gerin W. (2006). Writing the NIH Grant make it stronger and not offensive to the Proposal: A Step-by-Step Guide. Thousand Oaks, reviewers. CA: Sage Publications. Reif-Lehrer L. (2004). Grant Application Writers 8. Now, think about the advice of your col- Handbook, Fourth Edition. London: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. leagues, and make additional revisions to Yang OO. (2005). Guide to Effective Grant address their concerns. Writing: How to Write a Successful NIH Grant Application. New York: Springer. 9. Submit the application.

10. Pray to every deity you have ever heard of, and even those you haven’t, just in case. Take the evening off and go home early. Spend a quiet evening with your family or friends, whom you haven’t seen in the past months while working on your application. Then, get back to work on your next application! n

------CHAPTER 5 • SCIENTIFIC CITIZENSHIP 65 66 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS III ------6. GRADUATE AND POSTDOC ISSUES

Advice on Choosing a Successful Postdoctoral Position

How to Apply for a Postdoctoral Position

How to Have a Successful Postdoc Experience and Get a Good Job

Your Career Plan … Consider the Forest While You’re Focused on the Trees

Their Future in Your Hands: Inspiring Undergrads to Pursue Ph.D.s Advice on Choosing a Successful Postdoctoral Position

hoosing the right postdoctoral position can be one of the most important decisions of a Cscientist’s professional life. But some postdocs are unhappily surprised to discover that their chosen lab seems to be totally different when they arrive than it did the day they interviewed. How can a prospective postdoc make a solid choice that is good for her or him and good for the lab?

The way that the PI deals with challenges and opportunities will influence enormously the traits and style that the postdoc internalizes and employs when it becomes his or her turn to lead.

This is a vital question, as the choice will dictate a good part of the rest of the postdoc’s professional (and personal) life—not just the four years or so during which s/he will be in the lab. The way that the PI deals with challenges and opportunities will influence enormously the traits and style that the postdoc internalizes and employs when it becomes his or her turn to lead. It is best to aim for both a role model whose style one can respect and wish to emulate, and a situation that combines good leadership with good science. Gráinne Whitman, Many graduate students are so influenced by the Brian Guzik, stress and excitement of interviewing for a position and Larry Goldstein University of California, that they forget that an interview works both ways. San Diego Not only is it an opportunity for the student to shine, School of Medicine/HHMI but it is also an opportunity for the student to gain an understanding of how other labs operate. Here are a few things to do and not to do, and some signals and qualities to watch out for:

68 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS III ------THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR CELL BIOLOGY

Make sure that the walk fits the talk. The Insist on a feeling of trust and commu- “talk” is the lab group mythology, which nity. Look for clarity, understanding, and is what the PI and lab members in groups openness to everyone inside and outside the say. What actually goes on, the “walk,” will lab. The opposite of these qualities are secrecy most likely only be disclosed in one-on-one within the lab and to outsiders, lab members sessions with individual lab members, either who are confused and don’t seem to “get it” directly or subtly. Remember that if they hesi- themselves, and a certain rigidity that should tate in answering a question, there is a good be palpable even with one visit. chance that they are trying to remember the party-line (mythology) or they are trying to Consider the scientific track record of be a diplomat (spin doctor). the lab. While history doesn’t always repeat Look for how group members relate to itself, it can be a good place to learn about each other. One can tell a lot about the PI’s how a lab is run. Does the lab publish fre- leadership style by the way lab members quently in reputable journals? Publication carry themselves and how they treat each is the metric by which academics are mea- other, you, and especially people with little sured, and is a measure of productivity that power or status. is critical for getting almost any type of job. Is the number of publications representa- Tune into warning signs. If you sense that tive of the lab size? A lab with 30 postdocs something is not right, it may be an important that publishes three to four high-profile indication that it isn’t. Red flags may include papers a year is probably not as organized things like: and efficient as a lab with six postdocs that • No one-on-one time with lab members publishes one to two high-impact papers • People in the lab are cynical, sullen, and/ per year. or depressed. Value a focused research program. Look • Lab members don’t personally respect their for a logical coherence in research topics. Do PI. current research questions relate reasonably • The science doesn’t suit you, or, more omi- to each other? Has the lab changed focus fre- nously, you have the feeling that people quently and significantly over time? Research are not being straight in discussing and/or on a fertile topic, which has been built on a publishing their results. solid foundation of findings, thrives in a lab. • You are promised your own project on the However, research based on a few sensational condition that you take on another project findings or a few chance observations may first. disappear when the primary author leaves • Feeling like you are on a honeymoon, the lab, and may not be a productive area in or seeing an exuberance that doesn’t feel which to invest time and hard work. natural.

• You find yourself “talking yourself into” Be cautious about excessive overlap working there. between projects. Within the lab, look • You can’t quite put your finger on it, but for enough similarity between the lines of something just doesn’t feel right. research to provide synergy, while maintain- ing enough distance between them to prevent conflicts. This is not always an easy balance to create or maintain, but in a good area of

------CHAPTER 6 • GRADUATE AND POSTDOC ISSUES 69 research, there are far more important ques- Careful attention to these details while tions than there are people to do the work. interviewing, and to your impressions afterwards, will help you identify the PI and lab Look up the history of alumni. Look at that is the best fit for you both personally the PI’s list of publications and learn where and scientifically. This in turn will create the former lab members are now. Are they suc- best opportunity for your success and, most cessful? Do they have careers that would importantly, your lifelong enjoyment of a make you happy? scientific career. n

70 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS III ------How to Apply for a Postdoctoral Position

ime spent as a postdoctoral fellow can represent among the best times in one’s scientific Tcareer—no graduate student coursework or exams to worry about, no faculty obligations of teaching or grant writing, no worries about the success of your students or staff. Postdoctoral training is a time to focus on one’s own research, unencumbered by most other responsibilities. As a step along the pathway to full independence, it is a time to learn how to choose a good research topic and to gain additional paper and grant writing skills. It can also be a time to learn how to review manuscripts and begin mentorship of more junior colleagues. Of course, the salary increase from student to postdoc is always appreciated. Moreover, Suzanne Pfeffer the postdoctoral training period will provide a chance Stanford University to learn a new research area and new techniques in School of Medicine preparation for your next career stage as an independent investigator.

Seek out a mentor who will be a mentor—working with you to train you for independence and the world of science.

How to Pick a Postdoc First, pick a topic that excites you and has great potential for fundamental discovery. Don’t be afraid to pick a question that will enable you to learn a new area or experimental system, so that you will gain valuable new tools and approaches for the future. Fellowship-granting organizations frown upon applicants who continue their postdoc research in an area close to their Ph.D. topic. Next, consider which lab has the potential to do the most important and best work on your chosen problem—and keep in mind that this is not always the

------CHAPTER 6 • GRADUATE AND POSTDOC ISSUES 71 biggest lab or the lab at the most prestigious Making such statements shows that you institution. Seek out a mentor who will be a have taken time to focus your interests in an mentor—working with you to train you for area for training. Summarize your accom- independence and the world of science. If a plishments as a graduate student and be sure lab is large, you won’t get the same mentor- to include a list of your publications. These ship as in a smaller lab. You will probably be will show your potential postdoc mentor independent for the rest of your life, so don’t that you have been productive, have learned deprive yourself of the opportunity to build how to write papers, and are equipped with a supportive mentorship relationship at this the goods to succeed in obtaining fellowship stage of your career. support. Because you have already narrowed your search to perhaps three top labs, ask your Ph.D. advisor to send these folks a letter State specifically what it is in support of your application at the same time that you apply. Doing so will show that you hope to learn as a postdoc you sought guidance from your Ph.D. mentor and why you have chosen that and that you are serious about your interest in person’s lab. a particular lab. If you have not yet published your work, clearly explain why and ask your advisor to do the same. You will be less competitive in How to Apply obtaining a position, but a thoughtful letter Thanks to the Internet, good labs receive post- and a strong reference from your advisor can doc applications from all over the world every often overcome this limitation. If you still have day. Your job is to stand out above the rest. time to finish papers before applying, by all Your application will be taken much more means do so. Published papers will help you seriously if you can explain to your potential at every stage in your job-hunting process. mentor the specific basis for your application to that lab. Have you chosen a specific research area and sought the top labs in that Your visit is a mutual learning field? Was there a specific paper you read that opportunity that should leave really excited you? Make this clear in a cover the lab members feeling that they letter. State specifically what it is you hope to learn as a postdoc and why you have chosen simply have to recruit you. that person’s lab. For example: • “I am really interested in understanding asymmetric cell division in stem cells, and The Interview Day your recent paper in Journal X on this topic You’ve been invited to the host lab to give a piqued my interest.” talk on your graduate work. You’ve practiced • “I would like to learn to work with zebrafish and gone through your slides. But have you and was really excited about your recent read all the papers from that lab published studies of X in this system.” in the last five years? Don’t show up having read one review article, only to hear that the • “I am also considering two other labs that lab doesn’t even work in that area but that lab also work on this question.” members just think broadly. If relevant, bring

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• Do lab members compete with each other publications from the lab with you and ask or help one another? questions about specific experiments. Consider also asking your potential advisor: • Are people happy there and fully engaged • What do they really want to understand in in their science? the next five years and why? • Do they have any concerns? • What are they excited about? (Does this match your own interests?) Your visit is a mutual learning opportunity that should leave the lab members feeling that • How often do they meet with lab members? they simply have to recruit you—and, hope- • How backlogged are they in submitting fully, you will get a clear sense of whether papers? that lab is a place where you can thrive for the • Where have recent postdocs gone on to next several years of postdoctoral training. take positions? Finally, if a particular lab seems like a perfect Take the opportunity to ask members of match, be sure to let your host know. n the lab about the environment:

------CHAPTER 6 • GRADUATE AND POSTDOC ISSUES 73 How to Have a Successful Postdoc Experience and Get a Good Job

ongratulations. You have your Ph.D. and are one of the most highly educated adults in our Csociety. You have proven you are smart, independent, and motivated, and now you’re starting the next stage in your career development. Presumably, you have used your skills to research this new position and have some sense of what it is you want to learn and accomplish over the next three to four years. You have made a significant decision in choosing this postdoc position. Your Ph.D. ensures that you will have other opportunities to make significant career

Remember that being a postdoc is not Sandra Schmid a job—it is a transitional training The Scripps Research Institute opportunity en route to independence and, eventually, a “real job.”

choices. Remember that being a postdoc is not a job—it is a transitional training opportunity en route to independence and, eventually, a “real job.” With your advisor, you can determine a path to attain both your research and career goals—but you have the primary Sandra Masur responsibility for your success. Mount Sinai School of Medicine There are excellent published and Web resources to guide your career development; some are listed below. Here we consider three well-defined goals that constitute prerequisites for successfully completing postdoctoral training. With hard work, determination, and a little luck, you can accomplish these.

Goal 1: Set a Clear Plan Decide where you want to be four years from now. If you don’t know where you’re going, how can you set a straight and efficient course to get there? The sooner you choose a career path (e.g., academic or applied

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research, teaching, journalism, science advoca- Goal 3: Establish Your Identity cy) the better, so that you can get the training In addition to publishing your research, pres- and qualifications and make the contacts you ent your work whenever possible at depart- need to get where you want to go. Your objec- mental retreats, poster sessions, and minisym- tives may not be the same as your advisor’s, posia. At meetings, don’t be a wallflower. If but if you want your advisor’s help, it’s a good you don’t say anything, the assumption will idea to make sure that you are both pushing be either that (a) you don’t understand what’s in the same direction. Doing so requires hon- going on or (b) you don’t have anything est self-evaluation (see “Your Career Plan...” worth saying. Silence is never taken as a sign on p. 78) and career discussions with your of wisdom and knowledge. Collaborate with advisor. What aspects of science are you pas- and contribute to other projects. To establish sionate about? Are you creative? Do you like your expertise, others must benefit from it. benchwork, or do you prefer reading and You will need three to four letters of recom- assimilating information from the literature? mendation for an academic job, so talk to Do you like working as part of a team? Do you other faculty members and colleagues about want to cure a disease or develop a drug and their research as well as yours to try to find save the world? Do you like to teach? Are you a connection. a risk taker, or are you more comfortable with a clear path? It’s okay to learn the answers to Completing Big and Small Tasks some of these questions during your postdoc Achieving these goals and getting a job are training, but the sooner you know them, the the ultimate desired outcomes of your post- easier it is to set the best course. doctoral training. Keep them in mind and stay pointed in their direction, but break the jour- Goal 2: Finish One Significant ney up into smaller, doable steps. Plan short- Project term objectives for daily or weekly focus; This is the time to successfully tackle a very these may include composing your daily difficult, important, and/or novel problem. experimental plan and to-do list. Creating a Determine the single important question paper outline or plan early on can help you you’re addressing and how it fits in the con- meet intermediate-term objectives of outlin- text of the field. Then decide what data are ing, writing, and submitting your next paper. needed to tell a compelling but well-defined The intermediate-term objectives will take story. “Finished” means “published.” Make months to complete. Meanwhile use your good strategic decisions: Home runs are group meeting presentations to prepare semi- great, but don’t pass up the base hits. Also, nar-quality slides, and compose your job talk don’t get bogged down for years fighting month by month as your work progresses. to try to get your paper into a “sexy” jour- Step back and evaluate your progress regu- nal. Together with those 12 supplementary larly. Are you on track? figures you might well have material for Attending seminars can play a signifi- two or three excellent papers in Molecular cant role in achieving each of these goals. Biology of the Cell! Learning to write well Seminars provide an opportunity to expand and communicate your ideas and findings your knowledge efficiently and effortlessly. effectively is essential. Writing and publish- At the same time you can learn communica- ing papers proves your capabilities and tion skills from others’ successes and mis- makes you a stronger job candidate for any takes. You might also learn something that prospective employer. could help your research: a new method or

------CHAPTER 6 • GRADUATE AND POSTDOC ISSUES 75 approach, a relevant paradigm. By asking academic job, this means having a clear idea questions, you will be noticed and thereby of your independent research program; for a establish your identity in the research com- job in biotech, this means knowing your skill munity. You’ll also learn good interviewing set, what you have to offer, and the type of skills, which involve hearing about others’ work that interests you. If teaching is your research and engaging them in meaningful career goal, then teaching experience is more conversation about it. Make sure you meet the important than a long list of publications. famous scientists who give seminars. They will be hiring!

Funding Eases the Way ....working hard doesn’t Independent funding increases your free- necessarily mean working long: dom and security. Write a grant proposal, It means working efficiently, even if your advisor can fund the project. No matter what direction your career takes intelligently, and with you, you will always need to plan ahead determination. and justify your experiments—skills that are learned from grant writing. Some grants will ease your transition to an independent faculty Finishing a postdoc in three to four years position. These include Career Development requires commitment, focus, efficiency, and Awards from the Leukemia and Lymphoma a little luck. You can’t do it without working Society, the Department of Defense, or the hard, but working hard doesn’t necessarily Burroughs Wellcome Fund. The National mean working long: It means working effi- Institutes of Health offers the K01 Mentored ciently, intelligently, and with determination. Research Scientist Development Award, the Apply the same intensity to your friendships, K08 Mentored Clinical Scientist Development family, and recreation to stay balanced. But Award, and the new NIH Pathway to remember, people don’t have balanced days, Independence (PI) Award (K99/R00); all weeks, or months: They have balanced lives. provide promising postdoctoral scientists Keep the destination in mind, set your pri- mentored and independent research support. orities, and prepare to change them as your Apply for these as you consolidate your journey continues. n future plans and experience success (i.e., have published a paper), typically after two to three years. Make sure that there is good justi- Searchable Resources fication for continuing your training, because Life Sciences Research and Teaching: if your postdoc is not a learning experience, Strategies for a Successful Job Hunt you may be wasting your time. www.ascb.org/newsfiles/jobhunt.pdf. Don’t trust your advisor to keep track of www.grantsnet.org your career. Even the most caring mentor ■■ extensive, searchable grant database will lose track of time. Besides, given your http://nextwave.sciencemag.org/career_ experience and leadership abilities, mentors development/ like having you around. Go on the job market ■■ links to funding opportunities ■■ great advice on grantsmanship when you’ve attained your goals and when ■■ career advice you have a clear idea of what you want to do during the next phase of your career. For an

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Resources Feibelman PJ. (1994). A PhD is Not Enough. A Guide to Survival in Science. Cambridge, MA: Perseus Publishing. Austin L. (2000). What’s Holding You Back? Eight Critical Choices for Women’s Success. New York: Basic Books. Covey SR. (1997). The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. New York: Simon & Schuster Inc. Holden C. (1999). Eight Attributes of Highly Successful Postdocs. Science 285, 1527–1529. Lindstaedt B. (2007). Your Career Plan… Consider the Forest While You’re Focused on the Trees. ASCB Newsletter 30, 14–15. (See p. 78)

------CHAPTER 6 • GRADUATE AND POSTDOC ISSUES 77 Your Career Plan … Consider the Forest While You’re Focused on the Trees

s a young mother and a postdoc, Jane (not her real name) was frustrated. She felt she had just Abeen thrown off her career path, so she made an appointment to consult with me about how to get things back on track. I’m a career counselor, and after investing five years of research in her postdoc lab, with little data and no publications to show for the 60-hour weeks, Jane had learned that her husband Ron, an industry scientist, was being promoted and transferred to his “dream job.” Jane would need to leave her lab to move with her family to another city. Financially, they’d be fine. Ron’s salary increase would more than compensate for the loss of Jane’s postdoc income. But after two failed postdoctoral Bill Lindstaedt projects, her research was just beginning to produce University of California, some exciting data. Now what would she do? Would San Diego she have to start over with another lab and another postdoctoral position in her new city? If not, was she stepping permanently away from the path originally chosen to lead her into a faculty position? Why didn’t her mentor warn her that this path would be so difficult in the first place?

Many scientists in the early stages of their careers … [focus] … so intently on the trees right in front of their eyes that they simply miss the forest stretching out for miles in front of them.

Even more frustrating, she had been actively ignoring a nagging feeling that she was losing her passion for the bench. Why hadn’t she addressed that issue sooner, before being forced into a career transition? What could she have done to take charge?

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Could she have prepared herself better for a small portion of the current trainees in the transition into something more rewarding? biomedical sciences will become tenured fac- Was it too late? ulty. So should Jane have presumed that her As a career counselor who works every focus on the trees would lead her so easily to a day with graduate students and postdocs in faculty position? Is a faculty position the out- the life sciences, I have learned to identify come that Jane truly desired? What can Jane this common problem … Jane was frustrated do now to look past the trees, assess her posi- because she had focused for too long on the tion, think about her goals and priorities, and “trees.” Now, she desperately needed to shift then plan her own route through the forest? her focus to the “forest.” Using an Individual Development Ignoring the Forest Plan Many scientists in the early stages of their In Jane’s case, she answered these ques- careers fall into the same trap as Jane, focusing tions by creating and following an Individual so intently on the trees right in front of their Development Plan (IDP). This career plan- eyes that they simply miss the forest stretch- ning tool helped her to: ing out for miles in front of them. It’s true that • Make an honest assessment of her abilities training in the life sciences demands a certain and passions focus on the trees. Trainees are rewarded for • Gain a larger view of available career spending long hours in their corner of the lab, opportunities conducting experiments, producing papers, and spending each day—year after year— • Consider her life plans in the context of her carefully researching solutions to narrow and career plans specialized problems. Students and postdocs • Set short- and long-term goals. are discouraged from spending “nonproduc- tive” time exploring the forest of their avail- After her move, with the help of many able career opportunities. mentors and the use of an IDP, Jane leveraged her experience and skills. Using her past leadership and organizational experiences, and her outstanding writing skills, she obtained a … statistics now show that only new position: directing a cluster of graduate a small portion of the current programs in the sciences at a local campus. trainees in the biomedical IDPs have long been used by corporations, government agencies, and education- sciences will become tenured al institutions. But the concept appears to faculty. be fairly new in the field of biomedical research. In 2002, the Training and Careers Subcommittee of the Federation of American Most people coming up in the life sciences Societies for Experimental Biology’s (FASEB) overlook this forest because they presume Science Policy Committee created an IDP trainees should take the obvious path to reach template for use by trainees and their men- the traditional goal—a tenure-track research tors.1 This and other IDP templates do not faculty position. Indeed, for decades, this replace mentoring, but provide a way for training process reliably produced that out- trainees to take a proactive role in their own come! But statistics now show that only a mentoring process. The trainee can initiate

------CHAPTER 6 • GRADUATE AND POSTDOC ISSUES 79 the IDP process.2 “Implementation [of the 5. Most importantly, repeat these steps each IDP] does not have to be ‘top down’,” said year, to help ensure that you progress Phillip Clifford, Professor of Anesthesiology toward your overall goals. and Associate Dean for Postdoctoral Affairs at the Medical College of Wisconsin, and a I encourage you to use an IDP tool in your member of the FASEB subcommittee own career planning! Over time, the annual In 2005, the use of IDPs in the life sciences review of your own IDP will help you to con- got a boost when Sigma Xi reported results sider your forest while focusing on the trees. of a national postdoc survey. The results For more information, talk to your mentors show that postdocs who established a written and check out the following links. n plan with their advisor early in their postdoc period were more likely to report greater References productivity, greater satisfaction and better 1. FASEB IDP Template. http://opa.faseb.org/ relationships with their advisor.3 Recently, the pdf/idp.pdf. Graduate Research, Education and Training 2. Haak L. (2002). A Career Development Committee of the Association of American Plan for Postdocs. http://sciencecareers. sciencemag.org/career_magazine/ Medical Colleges (AAMC) released a set of previous_issues/articles/2002_10_18/ guidelines for postdocs and their mentors, noDOI.15973082408969265315. strongly encouraging the use of an IDP tool.4 3. Davis G. (2006). Improving the Postdoctoral There are many variations of the IDP Experience: An Empirical Approach. http://postdoc.sigmaxi.org/results/ process, and none is perfect. Jane used the ScientificWorkforceChapter.pdf. “Annual Individual Development Plan for Life 4. Association of American Medical Colleges Science Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Group on Graduate Research, Education, Trainees,”5 incorporating the following five and Training. Compact Between Postdoctoral steps: Appointees and their Mentors. www.aamc. org/research/postdoccompact. 5. UCSF Office of Career and Professional 1. Assess your strengths and weaknesses, Development. Individual Development Plan for your work and life values, and your inter- Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Trainees ests and passions. http://saawww.ucsf.edu/career/idp.doc. (To request a copy of this worksheet, contact [email protected].) 2. Carefully consider the assessment items from Step 1 and decide what major changes, if any, need to be made to your current career path.

3. Write out your plan, evaluating past progress along your chosen path, and set detailed goals for the future.

4. Implement your IDP. Share your written plan with a mentor or colleague, who will help you achieve your goals while holding you accountable to working consistently toward them.

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ou may find it surprising that liberal arts colleges are remarkably adept at training not just future YPh.D.s, but especially successful ones. If institutions are ranked according to the percentage of their graduates who go on to receive Ph.D.s, three of the top six are liberal arts colleges.1 What are liberal arts colleges doing to put them on equal footing with top research universities such as the California Institute of Technology and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology? The advantage appears to be the close working relationship of students and their professors. The running joke is that the success of these colleges is due to the absence of graduate students. The truth within this witticism may be that all of us are examples that either inspire or discourage Martha J. Grossel undergraduates from pursuing science. What can you do Connecticut College to better motivate undergraduates? We offer here some simple strategies, derived from our experiences at two liberal arts colleges, which can help all of us to guide undergraduates to become successful scientists.

Tell students what great jobs we have. Reflect on what we all take for granted—flexible hours, no boss, no Jennifer Roecklein-Canfield dress code. Simmons College

Model Tell students what great jobs we have. Reflect on what we all take for granted—flexible hours, no boss, no dress code. As scientists and professors, we are free to pursue our intellectual interests and are paid to do so! Debunk the myth that we make no money. Not only are most of us well compensated, but the benefits (including college tuition reimbursements) are great. We also enjoy flexibility in scheduling—a perk not shared by industry scientists. Most in academia have stable jobs

------CHAPTER 6 • GRADUATE AND POSTDOC ISSUES 81 and are unlikely to be transferred or laid off, Engage even in troubled economic times. Consider Engage students by undertaking research how you demonstrate your job satisfaction to projects in laboratory courses. Even simple students. Stressed-out, complaining profes- projects allow students to begin to think like sors do not make attractive role models. scientists. If freshmen tackle simple experimental design and hypothesis formation they Inform will be prepared to pursue more complex Inform young students about earning a doc- independent research in later years. The first torate in science. Most undergraduates and year is not too early to begin to look at figures parents don’t realize that a biomedical Ph.D. is from journal articles. Incorporate these into often free and that graduate students may be your courses to allow students to see that paid to pursue their advanced degree. Staying class topics encompass a vibrant field of sci- in school also delays student loan payback, ence. If we let students be scientists, they can and medical school may be free with an M.D./ discover their own passion for discovery. Ph.D. degree. Emphasize the leadership capac- When students become interested in ity that a Ph.D. student acquires in making research, we all know that the best place for decisions about the direction of research while them is in our own research labs. Students also working at the bench. Early exposure to who have their own project engage in sci- this information is crucial because it can spark ence in a unique way. Intensive research students’ interest and helps them improve with a mentor, especially during a focused performance in their coursework. time such as a summer research program, can ignite a student’s interest in science. An opportunity for students to share their results Teach what is still to be in poster sessions creates a special energy and discovered, understood, or excitement. Finally, bring your research stu- applied so that students don’t dents to meetings where they can participate in science, meet graduate students, and be feel that everything interesting recruited by professors and programs. is already done.

Interest An important component of Introduce students to the excitement of explo- inspiring students is to have ration and discovery in the first year to encour- high expectations of them. age students to stay in science and allow for earlier entry into the research lab. Topics that allow students to relate coursework to their own lives can grab their interest. Examples Inspire such as prions and mad-cow disease make the Share your wonder of science in your class. study of proteins more pertinent to teenagers. Tell your students the great stories. Share Draw attention to what is not known. Teach your own “ah ha” moments, and relay the what is still to be discovered, understood, or folklore of science discoveries that happened applied so that students don’t feel that every- in the lab down the hall or across cam- thing interesting is already done. What is left pus. Have students read some of the simple for them to dream of solving? articles that appear in great journals (e.g., the

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brief communication published in Nature that Meeting) where they can meet minority fac- described the use of the polymerase chain ulty and students. Lobby for undergraduate reaction to determine that certain types of fish travel awards. are often mislabeled in the market2). Discuss With simple adjustments to our own the Nobel Prizes when they are announced: behavior, and simple modifications to our The website (http://nobelprize.org) is com- classroom teaching, laboratory practices, and prehensible for undergrads. Relay to stu- institutional policies, we can better repre- dents the scientific accomplishments of your sent to undergraduates the requirements and alumni. These approaches help students to rewards of a doctoral degree in science. You see a doctoral degree as accessible. An impor- never know what will resonate. One student tant component of inspiring students is to recently remarked that she was first inspired have high expectations of them. You will be while washing glassware in the lab, intrigued surprised how often they will rise to your while listening to ongoing discussions of expectations. research. This experience “sparked in me the idea that I could be part of a team that could Advocate uncover something no one had ever found Advocate for a curriculum that requires stu- before.” n dents to synthesize, solve, and evaluate rather than memorize. Encourage your institution References to have a summer research program that 1. Cech TR. (1999). Science at Liberal Arts includes a poster session. Ask your profes- Colleges: A Better Education? Daedalus 128, 195–216. sional association to sponsor undergraduate events, including a poster session, at annual 2. Marko PB, Lee SC, Rice AM, Gramling JM, Fitzhenry TM, McAlister JS, Harper GR, meetings. Bring underrepresented minority Moran AL. (2004). Fisheries: Mislabelling of students to meetings (like the ASCB Annual a Depleted Reef Fish. Nature 430, 309–310.

------CHAPTER 6 • GRADUATE AND POSTDOC ISSUES 83 84 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS III ------7. UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITY ISSUES

Diversity in Science: The Importance of Mentoring

Self-Awareness and Cultural Identity: A Medical School Course of Exploration into Personal Unconscious Bias Diversity in Science: The Importance of Mentoring

disproportionate number of underrepresented minorities come from low socioeconomic A backgrounds and face difficulties in gaining access to quality education and resources. Progress in increasing the number of minorities earning Ph.D.s has been slow. My home institution, the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), does a good job of encouraging minority admissions, but we lose a fac- tor of 2 at each step of the educational ladder: About 20% of undergraduates are minorities; the proportion drops to ~10% in biomedical science Ph.D. programs and to ~5% in the postdoctoral community. Only a fraction of minority postdocs are entering academia. Why is the representation of minorities at the higher JoAnn Trejo levels of academia so dismal? There are many factors University of California, San Diego that contribute to the failure of academia to recognize, recruit, and retain the most talented minorities in science. Some certainly involve perceptions of inad- equacy and cultural bias. Among the solutions is to recognize that all students can benefit from help and guidance. I attribute much of my success in academia to great mentoring.

I attribute much of my success in academia to great mentoring.

Beyond the Bounds of Comfort I come from a family of migrant farm workers who harbor a strong work ethic. My grandparents were illit- erate, and neither of my parents graduated from high school. I am only the second in my family to finish college and the first ever to live away from home. I grew up harvesting produce with my family in the rural outskirts of Stockton, CA. The work was hard and the pay was minimal. As a young child, I accompanied my

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mother to a farm worker rally where Cesar family, immigrated to the U.S. after World Chavez spoke. I remember the sound of feet War II, and was my first scientist-mentor stomping, the shouts of “Viva la Huelga!,” who believed in me and ardently supported and the feelings of belonging but not really my scientific pursuits. knowing what it all meant. The smell of fertile peat dirt and ripe tomatoes and images More Mentors Who Believed of Mexican farm workers are vivid childhood in Me memories. After finishing college at the University of I liked school from an early age. My early California, Davis, I entered the biomedical sci- life was good, but I knew money was tight. I ences Ph.D. program at UCSD. Now farther was also aware that we often “did without.” from home than ever, I needed time to adjust My father’s absence made growing up dif- to the not entirely comfortable culture of ficult, and adolescence was chaotic, particu- graduate school. I completed my dissertation larly for my older brothers. I sought refuge with Joan Heller Brown, under whose tute- in school, and I was fortunate to have crossed lage I learned how to do science and how to paths with supportive teachers who kept me think like a scientist. I also began to develop on the right track. I also had the great advan- an interest in G protein–coupled receptors tage of having an older sister who defied tra- (GPCRs). Joan Heller Brown was the kind of dition, stayed in school, and graduated from mentor I needed. She was friendly, nurtur- college. I followed in her footsteps. ing, and always radiated confidence in my My transition from home to college 50 abilities as a scientist. Her belief in my work miles away at the University of California, fueled my desire to succeed in science, and I Davis, was tough. I was thrust into a world thrived under her guidance. that was wildly different from what I knew. I then moved to the University of California, I went home often on weekends to relieve San Francisco (UCSF) to pursue postdoctoral feeling alienated. I eventually adjusted to studies with Shaun Coughlin, who had just college life, experienced success in school, discovered the thrombin receptor, a unique gained confidence, and began to excel. I also GPCR activated by proteolysis. At UCSF discovered science, in the person of Antoni I was exposed to both the marvelous and Oppenheim, the father of one of my high the cutthroat sides of academic research. I school teachers. He was an engineer and worked alongside colleagues who came from invited me to visit his lab at the University privileged backgrounds, had trained at the of California, Berkeley. He also introduced most elite institutions, and were fiercely com- me to an undergraduate research program at petitive. We shared the same passion and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and desire to do great science. This commonality helped me get an internship, where I worked forged many great friendships that endure to every summer during college. During these this day. summers, I lived in a small cottage at the With success in the lab, I began to real- Oppenheim’s home in North Berkeley and ize that I was as smart and capable as my I learned firsthand what the life of a profes- peers despite my different upbringing; I felt sor was like. I began to realize that educa- as though the playing field was now level. tion was a route to a different life. I became Shaun provided phenomenal mentorship by passionate about research and decided that example. He challenged us to do rigorous I too wanted to be a scientist! Professor and creative research: Careless work was Oppenheim was from an educated Polish unacceptable. My response was to develop

------CHAPTER 7 • UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITY ISSUES 87 the type of scientific work ethic that enabled of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) as a me to be an independent and successful tenure-track assistant professor in 2000. I was investigator. I credit my work ethic to these promoted to associate professor with tenure early training experiences with Shaun. I also in 2005. realized that my own drive, confidence, and UNC was an ideal environment, but as time passion for science were necessary to sus- passed, I desired to be closer to my family and tain me in this frequently severely competi- to work in a more diverse academic institu- tive, harshly critical, and incredibly satisfying tion. Hence I jumped at the opportunity to career, and they do. relocate to UCSD and accepted a position in Despite vastly different backgrounds, I the Department of Pharmacology in 2008. In never felt that my mentors had lower expec- my view, the excellent scientific environment tations for me or treated me differently than at UCSD will enhance my research initiatives; any other trainee. In fact, my mentors showed the diverse demographics in California will trust and faith in me. Indeed, I was often enhance my efforts to recruit more minorities held to a high standard, since they knew I into the professoriate. would get the job done. I now have the same I have been a faculty member for eight expectations of all of my trainees, regardless years and now devote most of my time to of their backgrounds, since rigorous training research and to interacting with scientists at will only increase their chances of success in all levels. I have also served on many gradu- science. ate admissions committees and faculty search committees. I have experienced firsthand the misconceptions that many academics have The most rigorous scientific of individuals who are simply different than they are. It is difficult to challenge such ideas training for minority scientists when the group is largely homogeneous, i.e., is crucial: When a minority typically male and white. scientist does not meet the UCSD has made significant progress in bringing a number of outstanding women highest standard, her/his entire to the faculty ranks, a step in the right direc- community is often perceived as tion. But further work is needed to enrich inadequate. the faculty of our academic institutions with individuals from diverse backgrounds. We need to attract faculty who more accurately reflect the demographics of the cities and Rigorous training entails demanding high states in which we live. To this end, I am standards and providing support to achieve becoming active in the San Diego Institutional these standards. The most rigorous scien- Research and Academic Career Development tific training for minority scientists is crucial: Award program. This postdoctoral training When a minority scientist does not meet the program, sponsored by the National Institute highest standard, her/his entire community of General Medical Sciences, supports the is often perceived as inadequate. development of young minority professors. Diversity enriches the educational experience Working in the Ivory Tower and strengthens communities. It is critical for After postdoctoral training at UCSF, I accept- our economic competitiveness and sustained my first faculty position at the University ability.

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Education and Mentorship There is no clear path to follow Crucial I remain the only one of my family to live to rise above poverty, but my away from Stockton. I currently live with my experience shows that support partner, an elementary school teacher, in an in seeking and finding access to urban community of San Diego. I have dozens of nephews and nieces who mostly live in education, and crossing paths poverty, and are smart but lack access to qual- with the right mentors, can have ity education. For the most part their lives do a profoundly positive effect on not include activities that are compatible with success in school. I talk with them about the the course one follows. importance of education and try to provide them with experiences that go beyond their daily existence. My hope is that they will There is no clear path to follow to rise realize the opportunities that education can above poverty, but my experience shows that offer them. support in seeking and finding access to education, and crossing paths with the right mentors, can have a profoundly positive effect on the course one follows. We all have amazing potential. n

------CHAPTER 7 • UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITY ISSUES 89 Self-Awareness and Cultural Identity: A Medical School Course of Exploration into Personal Unconscious Bias

he U.S. continues to struggle with race, and this struggle plays out in our scientific culture as Twell as in the rest of society. A course offered at Harvard Medical School tries to help participants recognize the manifestations of racism in their own beliefs and behaviors.

Where Are the Minority Job Applicants? Those of us involved in faculty recruitment are only too aware that although we dutifully add the language to job descriptions urging applications from underrepresented minorities, we are often unable to find “qualified” applicants of the same caliber as majority Daniel A. Goodenough scientists. Why are there no candidates? Harvard Medical School

[I]t can be hard for white Americans to appreciate how the three levels of racism—internalized, interpersonal, and institutional—continue to deny blacks access to the benefits of society that whites enjoy.

The answer is that the U.S. has a long history of slav- ery, Jim Crow laws, and anti-miscegenation laws that has shaped our perceptions. And even today there are innumerable institutional structures that continue to offer privilege and advantage to whites. We are bom- barded from birth with images and stories depicting black people as criminals, shiftless and lazy, oversexed and dangerous. Most white Americans spend their time in predominantly white contexts and feel uncom- fortable when they find themselves in the minority in a black group. Although there are outstanding

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resources that debunk race as a biological key to unlocking unconscious feelings and reality, we have trouble seeing that race is a biases. Therefore, the class is structured to social construct. And it can be hard for white allow participants to explore the values they Americans to appreciate how the three levels have about human differences and how they of racism—internalized, interpersonal, and acquired those values. institutional—continue to deny blacks access We begin by having the group attempt to to the benefits of society that whites enjoy. define “culture.” We ask each person to identify his or her cultural identity. Participants Learning How We Experience bring a “cultural object” (photograph, icon, Race food, book, etc.) to class that has special Another manifestation of racism is dispari- importance for them. Each person presents ties in health care. Such disparities are so the object and its meaning to the group. well documented that the Liaison Committee And as the circle completes, what emerges on Medical Education of the Association is a remarkable richness in self-identities. of American Medical Colleges has added a Students often find it hard to select just one requirement for “cultural competence train- object, because we all belong to multiple cul- ing” in medical school curricula. We have tures, and a discussion about which objects developed a course at Harvard Medical were not chosen often brings additional rich- School designed to launch participants on a ness to the conversation. path of self-reflection and exploration of their In a subsequent session we each construct own unconscious biases. The elective course our “cultural genogram”: a family tree going has 14 sessions, each two hours. It is offered back as many generations as desired, using twice a year, once to students in any year of symbols and color coding to denote interra- their training and once to faculty. While the cial and interclass marriages; levels of educa- study of racism forms a core component of tion achieved; immigration patterns; gay and our work, the course also explores gender lesbian; disabled and mentally ill; divorce bias, homophobia, social class, immigration, and illegitimacy; and class status.1 In groups religion, and body image. of three we present our genograms to each other, noting areas of pride and shame in the family, unspoken rules, and power dynam- The core tenet of the program ics. (What topics were never discussed at the is that undoing racism starts dining room table?) As we hear each other’s stories, it becomes clear that we have shared with each person understanding experience with some human differences, what and how s/he was taught while other experiences are totally foreign to think about and experience and unknown to some. race, as a key to unlocking Finding Our Blind Spots unconscious feelings and biases. These discussions focus on uncovering our “blind spots,” areas of privilege that each of us has that we don’t have to acknowledge. The core tenet of the program is that undo- For example, as a white male, I rarely have to ing racism starts with each person under- think about my race. Race is something that standing what and how s/he was taught others have. I am the “norm” in my society, to think about and experience race, as a and thus race has very little impact on me on a

------CHAPTER 7 • UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITY ISSUES 91 daily basis. I was raised in a white community, We want to believe we are not racist. I was went to a white school, and had little exposure given a lovely instrument by Beverly Daniel to blacks. But I find out in this course that my Tatum that helps get folks thinking about black colleague thinks about race 10–20 times their racism in a constructive way. Consider a day and experiences daily “micro-aggres- the following table: sions”: clutching of handbags as he walks by white women, being followed in department Active Passive stores while he is shopping, experiencing lack of eye contact from whites, hearing comments Racist such as “My, you are so articulate!” or “What Anti-racist do black people think about that?” Referring to our cultural genograms, in sub- Who would you put in each box? It is usu- sequent sessions we explore the communities ally possible to come up with examples of in which we grew up, our schools, summer people who are actively racist, both now and vacations, and circles of friends. Again we historically. Similarly, it is straightforward to do this with an eye to understanding how we identify active anti-racists, people who devote were taught values about human differences. unusual energy and time to fight racism. With Who was in our world and who was not? We additional thought, you might imagine a pas- approach each of the “isms” in the same way, sive racist, someone who harbors consider- sometimes using trigger videotapes to spark able racist attitudes but who may be relatively discussion. For example, what would it be unaware of this trait. Where would you be? like to grow up gay, to have a secret that you Most whites would like to be in the lower- could not tell anyone, for fear that he or she right box: passive anti-racist. Here, we can be would not love you anymore?2 One rough truly against racism, but we are not prepared estimate is that about 10% of us are gay. Yet to do any hard work. of the 20 or so people in your genogram, how What Tatum taught me is that in reality the many did you know were gay? How does that passive anti-racist box does not exist. If you enter into your current comfort zone about are white, you carry white privilege. If you being around gay people? Another example: simply accept that reality without questioning As you move around in your busy day, how it, then you are part of the problem. You are often do you notice how difficult it might passively endorsing the continuation of a rac- be to follow you in a wheelchair? What feel- ist society, enjoying your privilege, seeing it ings come up for you when you encounter a as “normal” or “the way things are,” or even person in a wheelchair? Do you relate to that denying that you have any special privilege individual as you would anyone else? because you are white. You may believe that we live in a meritocracy and that you have Which Box Are You In? achieved all your successes solely because Racism is like smog: It is inescapably in the you are smart and have worked very hard. air everywhere. We breathe it from the day But white individuals are born on third base, we are born, only occasionally noticing it. We even if we want to believe we hit a triple. may cough from time to time and produce a most ugly excrescence, wondering how Accepting Reality something like that could have emerged from In The Matrix, Neo is given the choice of the such a nice person. We try to hide these con- red or blue pill by Morpheus. Take the blue tributions, because we fear being called racist. pill: Go back to the status quo, change noth-

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ing, and continue to wonder why there are References few competitive black candidates in our job 1. Hardy KV, Laszloffy TA. (1995). The Cultural searches. Take the red pill: Accept the reality Genogram: Key to Training Culturally Competent Family Therapists. J Marital Fam and unfairness of racism, accept the nonexis- Ther 21:227–237. tence of passive anti-racism, and accept that 2. McNaught B. (1993). Growing Up Gay and we are all trained since birth to participate Lesbian. DVD, VHS. www.brian-mcnaught. in a society with multiple institutional struc- com/books/growingupgay.htm. tures that ensure the preservation of white privilege. Having taken the red pill, there is no going back. n

------CHAPTER 7 • UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITY ISSUES 93 94 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS III ------8. WOMEN IN SCIENCE

A Network of Our Own

Improving the Climate for Women in Academia

The Wisdom of Athena: A Model Scheme for Achieving Gender Equity in Science and Engineering in the UK A Network of Our Own

any Women in Cell Biology (WICB) columns have addressed the importance of mentor- Ming relationships between junior and senior scientists. What’s missing is the view from our peers who face challenges similar to our own in both time and place. Peer networks not only contribute mutual support but also group intelligence, and are particularly important for scientists who may be isolated or set apart from their colleagues (for example, by being the only woman in a department, or the only single father).

[T]hese two networks... are safe places for their members and maintain Susan L. Forsburg University of Southern California confidentiality…. are noncompetitive … problem-solving groups …

This column describes two strategies: one, a formal network described by Ellen Daniell in her recent book, Every Other Thursday,1 and the second, an informal network called the X-Gals, authors of a continuing series of columns in The Chronicle of Higher Education.2 Although very different in structure, these two networks share several features. First, they are safe places for their members and maintain confidentiality. Second, they are noncompetitive: The members aren’t trying to establish rank within the network. Third, they are problem-solving groups, with a focus on professional issues. Finally, they are friends, encouraging the members to enjoy the good as well as confront the bad.

A Structured Group “Group,” the network in Daniell’s book, was founded by several University of California, San Francisco, faculty over 30 years ago. It was inspired by a psychology movement that promoted a collective approach to

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problem-solving. Originally including men provides that information.3 Reading the book and women who were working toward ten- provides a virtual network itself, with Daniell ure, Group eventually evolved into a group explaining strategies for common problems of eight women scientists from different Bay and describing “pigs” that many of us har- Area institutions. Many of them have now bor. As these high-achieving women describe spent over 25 years together. Some readers the challenges they have faced, the reader may recall a presentation from Group mem- may feel a jolt of familiarity. The book also bers at a WICB event during the 1994 ASCB describes setbacks in professional careers and Annual Meeting.3 Daniell writes: real lives, as when Daniell describes her tenure The objective of Group … is coopera- denial, or another member describes the loss tion in the competitive world. Group of her beloved partner. Thus, it’s a fascinating members seek both practical solutions for biography of a cohort of women scientists and specific problems (such as dealing with what it took for them to survive and thrive. a difficult boss or employee) and broader perspective on our lives. Group helps An Ad Hoc Network counter the all-too-common experience In contrast to the formality and history of of professional life as a combat zone in Group, the X-Gals are young women begin- which nobody seems to be on your side ning their independent careers who have a …. Anyone who feels isolated in a pro- long-distance, ad hoc network. They are: fessional or competitive setting or who nine female biologists who began meet- wants honest feedback can benefit from ing weekly... over a few beers in 2000, a group, a safe testing ground where as several of us wrote up our disserta- everyone is on your side.4 tions…. As we graduated and took far-flung jobs and postdocs … we have continued the dialogue through an “Anyone who feels isolated in e-mail discussion list….What began as a professional or competitive a survival mechanism for a few female graduate students has become an incred- setting or who wants honest ible motivational force and a sounding feedback can benefit from a board vital to our lives and careers.2 group …” In their series of columns in The Chronicle of Higher Education, they take turns discussing issues of mutual concern. Strikingly, most of Group has regular, structured meetings. their members are not on the “traditional” Each member asks for a certain amount of academic path, and they ask “are women time to discuss an issue. The members use ‘choosing ourselves’ out of an academic code-words: a pig is a negative self-percep- career, or is the traditional path of the aca- tion; a contract is a concise description of demic profession so hostile to women that we goals; a stroke is an encouraging compliment feel we do not have a choice?”5 The series of to another member. Members are discour- X-Gals columns6 reflects on these and other aged from rescues, or taking responsibility for issues, informed by the views of the network. another’s problems. The Chronicle columns do not reflect the Daniell’s book is not a how-to manual support function of the network per se, but in setting up a formal network, although it evolve into broader reflections about careers

------CHAPTER 8 • WOMEN IN SCIENCE 97 in biological science that come from their network experiences. References We all have searched locally for men- 1. Daniell E. (2006). Every Other Thursday. tors but found few. Perhaps that is one New Haven: Yale University Press. reason our e-mail group is so important 2. Louis L. (2006). The X-Gals Alliance. The to us: We help one another negotiate the Chronicle of Higher Education, October 6. http://chronicle.com/weekly/v53/ competing demands of our roles, in no i07/07c00101.htm. particular order, as scientists, partners, 3. Peer Mentoring @ UC Berkeley. (1994). and mothers….2 Beyond Survival: The Evolution of a Women’s Professional Problem Solving Group. Workshop, The American Society for Cell The X-Gals network was begun in proxim- Biology Annual Meeting. http://ga.berkeley. ity but continues, thanks to email, over long edu/academics/peer_hist.html. distances. Thus, a network need not be formal 4. Daniell, p. xii. or local to be functional. 5. Murray M. (2007). Too Few Choices. The As Daniell reminds us, “intimacy and reli- Chronicle of Higher Education, February ance on others for encouragement and advice 2. http://chronicle.com/weekly/v53/ i22/22c00101.htm. is a source of empowerment, not a sign of weakness.”7 Both Group and the X-Gals 6. Women in Biology Internet Launch Pages. (2007). www.womenbio.net. encourage their members to achieve their 7. Daniell, p. xii. goals, even though their strategies are different. Their experiences make it clear that all scientists, from junior students to senior professors, can benefit from a peer community. No one needs to do it alone. n

98 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS III ------Improving the Climate for Women in Academia

“ t a time when the nation is concerned about training enough health care givers and research Ascientists for the coming decades, academic science and medicine appear to be in danger of wasting more than half of their capital—their women faculty,” concludes a recent report from the National Academies.1,2 But perhaps needed change is coming. Many institutions are seeking ways to promote women’s advancement by creating a more favorable academic climate. Some important recent efforts to understand and change institutional climates that may impede the careers of women scientists and engineers include: • Thirty institutions have received National Science W. Sue Shafer Foundation ADVANCE Institutional Transforma Consultant tion Awards, which seek “to develop systemic Women’s Careers In Science approaches to increase the representation and advancement of women in academic science and engineering careers.”3

• Five leading medical schools, along with Brandeis University and the American Association of Medical Colleges, have launched a landmark five- year study to explore and address the dramatic underrepresentation of women and minority faculty in leadership and senior positions in academic medicine.2 This National Initiative on Gender, Culture, and Leadership in Medicine (also known as “C-Change” for cultural change) is supported by a $1.4 million grant from the Josiah Macy, Jr., Foundation of New York.

• The University of Southern California received a gift of $20 million to create the Women in Science and Engineering Program to increase the number of women in tenured and tenure-track faculty positions.4

------CHAPTER 8 • WOMEN IN SCIENCE 99 One noteworthy and successful effort to recognition of the importance of enhancing assess and improve the academic climate for diversity. women (and for all faculty) is taking place at One reform was an enhancement to the the University of California, San Francisco existing University of California systemwide (UCSF). The effort began when Chancellor policy under which the tenure clock automati- J. Michael Bishop asked his top leadership cally stops if a faculty member takes mater- to develop a Faculty Climate Survey and to nity leave. Now at UCSF the chancellor’s include comparisons between women and office compensates departments for the first men. Starting with questions that Nancy six weeks of this paid leave. An additional Hopkins and her colleagues had used at the six weeks of leave is available without such Massachusetts Institute of Technology, UCSF compensation. officials developed a survey that was refined In keeping with the recommendations of and administered by a professional polling the committee that reviewed the faculty sur- firm in 2001.5 A faculty committee appointed vey, several new programs are in place to by the chancellor, with representatives from support faculty. First, there are now both each of the four schools, analyzed the results institution-wide and intradepartmental wel- and forwarded 10 recommendations to the coming activities for all new faculty. A day- chancellor in 2003.6 long program covers topics as varied as The chancellor accepted all 10 recommen- compensation and benefits, childcare, fac- dations.7 A Chancellor’s Council on Faculty ulty review processes, mentoring, retirement, Life was appointed in late 2003. Under the teaching skills, and managing difficult work leadership of the vice provost for academic situations.8 affairs (originally Dorothy Bainton, now Another new program to support faculty is Sally Marshall), the council is responsible for the UCSF Faculty Mentoring Program, which implementing the recommendations, there- was established in 2006 with the goals of: by ensuring high-level support for these • Supporting the recruitment and retention activities. of the highest-quality faculty • Increasing faculty diversity through improved mentoring of underrepresented Some of the positive results so faculty far include a change in tenure • Improving faculty career satisfaction and policy with respect to maternity, success. establishment of programs Mitchell D. Feldman was appointed to to support new and existing the half-time position of director of faculty mentoring and is working closely with the faculty, and institutional Chancellor’s Council on Faculty Life to estab- recognition of the importance lish and oversee a mentoring program for all of enhancing diversity. UCSF faculty. All assistant professors and new faculty have mentors; more than 800 have been matched to date. Mentors and their Some of the positive results so far include a protégés meet at least twice a year to review change in tenure policy with respect to mater- the protégé’s updated curriculum vitae and nity, establishment of programs to support individual development plan. Each depart- new and existing faculty, and institutional ment has at least one mentoring facilitator,

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with almost 80 such appointments in place. the programs instituted by the Chancellor’s Workshops are being developed to train both Council on Faculty Life through the Office mentors and facilitators. Protégés are enthu- of Faculty Development and Advancement,” siastic about the new program, saying, “I says Vice Provost Marshall. “It has been a applaud the institutionalization of the men- great experience—from the initial support by toring program at UCSF,” and “I think that Chancellor Bishop through the active partici- the mentoring program is fabulous.” pation by our faculty and their appreciation A third new program to support and of the programs.” advance faculty careers is a substantive new- faculty leadership development program launched in 2005. Funded by the Chancellor’s Council on Faculty Life, the UCSF Faculty [W]ith efforts like those at UCSF Leadership Collaborative was developed and other institutions, women by the Coro Center for Civic Leadership, can be and should be encouraged a nationally recognized leadership training organization. The program is designed for to pursue careers in all branches UCSF faculty who want to build commu- of academic science and medicine, nity awareness and knowledge as well as without fear of becoming part of their personal and professional leadership skills. More than 60 individuals have already the “wasted capital.” received this training, which will be offered periodically. Finally, a faculty enrichment pilot pro- Clearly, to facilitate women’s careers we gram aimed at stress management and must reform what the National Academies reduction has recently been completed, and report calls “gender and racial/ethnic bias the initial results are positive. This program and outmoded ‘rules’ governing academic supplements the many supportive resourc- success.” However, with efforts like those at es available through the UCSF Work–Life UCSF and other institutions, women can be Portal.9 and should be encouraged to pursue careers Nurturing and enhancing diversity is now in all branches of academic science and medi- recognized as an important component of the cine, without fear of becoming part of the UCSF strategic plan.10 A faculty search ambas- “wasted capital.” n sador position, initially established two years ago, has been made part of a broader, UCSF- References wide diversity initiative. J. Renee Navarro 1. Committee on Maximizing the Potential was appointed director of academic diversity of Women in Academic Science and Engineering, National Academy of Sciences, in August 2007 to lead UCSF’s efforts to nur- National Academy of Engineering, and ture and enhance diversity among faculty and Institute of Medicine (2007). Beyond Bias and trainees, who include students, residents, and Barriers: Fulfilling the Potential of Women in Academic Science and Engineering. postdoctoral scholars. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. To test whether these interventions have 2. EurekAlert. (2007). A Remedy for What Ails improved the climate for all faculty, and Medicine: A National Initiative to Advance especially for women, UCSF plans to repeat Women and Minority Faculty in Academic the 2001 Faculty Climate Survey in a few Medicine. www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/ 2007-03/bu-arf032707.php. years. “I am very pleased with the results of

------CHAPTER 8 • WOMEN IN SCIENCE 101 3. www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/advance/itwebsites.jsp. 4. www.usc.edu/programs/wise/about. 5. http://chancellor.ucsf.edu/cwf/contents.htm. 6. http://statusofwomen.ucsf.edu/resources/ climatefaculty.php. 7. http://chancellor.ucsf.edu/responsetotaskforce/ chancellor.htm. 8. http://academicaffairs.ucsf.edu/welcome2007/ SFGH2007.php. 9. http://worklife.ucsf.edu. 10. http://strategy.ucsf.edu.

102 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS III ------The Wisdom of Athena: A Model Scheme for Achieving Gender Equity in Science and Engineering in the UK

he gender distribution in science, engineering, and technology (SET) in both academia and Tindustry is unbalanced in the UK, just as it is in many other countries. This means that the underrepresentation of women increases with increasing seniority. The situation persists even though the business world has openly confirmed what seems obvious: Including all sectors of the population is crucial

[C]hief executives of global corporations have publicly stated that diversity in the workforce at every Inke Näthke level is…the best way to develop University of Dundee means to expand into new markets and stimulate new business ideas…

for developing any enterprise to its full potential. In fact, chief executives of global corporations have publicly stated that diversity in the workforce at every level is important. They have identified it as the best way to develop means to expand into new markets and stimulate new business ideas, thus creating a significant competitive advantage. Moreover, a review of corporate performance and gender diversity of 355 U.S. Fortune 500 companies found that “strongest performance correlated strongly with gender diversity in the top management team.”1

Athena Charts a Course Such information—together with results of the Athena Survey of Science, Engineering, and Technology (ASSET)—led to a new strategy in the UK: establishment of a charter to recognize excellence in SET employment in higher education. ASSET was conduct-

------CHAPTER 8 • WOMEN IN SCIENCE 103 • To address gender inequalities requires ed by the Athena Project (www.athenaproj- commitment and action from everyone, at ect.org.uk) and compared the experiences of all levels of the organization. more than 6,500 men and women in academia and research council institutes. • To tackle the unequal representation of women in science requires changing cultures and attitudes across the organization. To help achieve its goals, Athena • The absence of diversity at management and policy-making levels has broad works with partner universities implications, which the organization will to develop, share, encourage, examine. and disseminate good practices • The high loss rate of women in science is to improve career development, an urgent concern that the organization will address. recruitment, and participation • The system of short-term contracts has and, ultimately, to increase the particularly negative consequences for the number of women working in retention and progression of women in sci- SET at all levels. ence, which the organization recognizes. • There are both personal and structural obstacles to women making the transition The idea for a charter emerged from the from Ph.D. into a sustainable academic Scientific Women’s Academic Network career in science, which require the active (SWAN) Conference in October 2002, where consideration of the organization. 10 founding members committed themselves The university as a whole, i.e., the top-level to “the advancement and promotion of the administration, must support the charter’s careers of women in science, engineering, and intention and thus accept the preceding prin- technology in higher education and research, ciples. On a practical level, this commitment and to achieve a significant increase in the involves submitting a report that describes number of women recruited to top posts.” the statistics and self-evaluation of the univer- Since then another 16 universities and research sity with regard to employment practices over institutes have joined the charter. To help time. The report should also include potential achieve its goals, Athena works with partner areas and procedures for improvement, as universities to develop, share, encourage, and well as specific plans for how to implement disseminate good practices to improve career changes and improvements. Once bronze-lev- development, recruitment, and participation el Athena SWAN status is granted, individual and, ultimately, to increase the number of departments or colleges can apply for higher- women working in SET at all levels. level awards (i.e., silver or gold).

What Charter Membership Benefits for All Means A report released by Athena summarizes the A university that applies to become a mem- potential advantages of joining the charter, ber of the Athena SWAN Charter pledges to which include the following: accept and incorporate the following prin- • To be recognized as an employer of choice, ciples into its action plan: attracting and retaining talent

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• To enhance the organization’s external rep- • Raised the profile of the departments utation, including the public relations and involved marketing opportunities offered by gaining an award • To help fulfill statutory equal-opportunity “Discussions about the award responsibilities and the process towards making • To identify and publicize initiatives that exist but are not known outside the depart- the application for the silver ment concerned award led to a structured review • To stimulate change at organizational and of how the school operated, what departmental levels barriers there were to effective • To receive individual, expert feedback when submitting annual reports and rec- delivery by all staff, and action ognition awards plans to start to dismantle the • To have the university’s achievements barriers.” profiled positively on the Athena SWAN website • To gain access to the charter’s network of The University of Edinburgh similarly con- contacts and events firmed that the important benefit was “for • To underline the institution’s commitment all staff, not just female staff, because any to gender equality to students, funders, action that is taken affects all staff equally. research councils, and industry Discussions about the award and the process towards making the application for the silver To find out whether institutions indeed award led to a structured review of how the experienced these advantages, I wrote to school operated, what barriers there were to some of the universities that have held Athena effective delivery by all staff, and action plans SWAN awards. The response was unani- to start to dismantle the barriers. The award mously positive. For instance, the University was a good vehicle for organisational devel- of York, whose chemistry department holds opment within the school, and a number of a rare gold-level award, confirmed that its very simple actions made a real difference.” expectations—wanting to recruit the best staff and create an environment allowing them to Watch for Progress undertake their best research—were met. It The formal process of participating in the confirmed that the Athena SWAN process: charter recognizes the self-reported and exter- • Is a useful toolkit for identifying weak nally monitored performance of an institution points in staffing policies with regard to gender diversity, the identifi- • Identified good working practices for all cation of means to change practices that cre- (i.e., not just for women) ate barriers for the advancement of women in particular, and other cultural changes. • Was a useful and effective recruiting tool Thus, it may be one way of moving forward • Identified areas in which more support was to address systemic problems that contrib- needed and made departments look at their ute to the disproportionate representation of processes and policies to identify gaps women in SET.

------CHAPTER 8 • WOMEN IN SCIENCE 105 The charter is only a few years old, and it Reference will take more time to measure how much of 1. The Bottom Line: Connecting Corporate a cultural change it can effect. However, I for Performance and Gender Diversity. (2004). New York: Catalyst. www.catalyst.org/ one will “watch this space” carefully and try file/44/the bottom line connecting corporate to convince my institution to join this scheme. performance and gender diversity.pdf. The EU provides clear directives to support principles like Athena’s, but a crucial added value of the Athena SWAN charter is the credibility and visibility provided by external monitoring. Should this scheme prove successful, it might provide an excellent model for other countries to consider. n

106 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS III ------9. CAREER AND FAMILY

Dual-Career Academic Couples

Postponement of Parenthood—the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Postponement of Parenthood: Implications for Women Scientists

On Supporting Female Postdoctoral Fellows with Children Dual-Career Academic Couples

“ am a hard-working Ph.D. with multiple publications and over 24 independently taught courses,” reports Ione academic woman. Unlike her husband, she is not on the tenure track. She met her partner in graduate school, where they both completed their Ph.D.s on identical timelines. But when it came time to go on the job market, her husband received the first offer. As a result, she accepted part-time teaching in her husband’s department as part of his hiring package. “The tiny salary made me wince, but with the ink still wet on my diploma, it didn’t occur to me to negotiate. Never mind that I hadn’t yet tested my Ph.D. on the job market. Never mind that I’d held better and more lucrative teaching posts as a graduate student. Andrea Henderson My partner and I felt lucky. Unlike so many other aca- California State University demic couples, we would have the privilege of living Northridge in the same city.”1 Several years later, the gap between their careers seems insurmountable. Compared with her husband, she teaches more, earns less, and is nowhere near entering tenure track in his department.

Restructuring university practices will help transform the way universities do business and grow academic cultures where women, too, can flourish.

Dual-Career Problems Common This story is but one example of the hiring roadblocks encountered by dual-career academics. The phenom- enon of dual-career relationships, which accounts for 65% of the U.S. workforce, is even higher inside the “ivory tower.”2 Among academics, nearly 80% are coupled with working professionals, over one-third of whom are also academics.3 Both married and domestic partners in dual-career relationships suffer decreased

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job mobility and lesser benefits in terms of the Spousal employment as part-time, adjunct, opportunities, experience, salary, and work- or nontenure-track faculty is determined on a ing conditions that mobility can bring. This case-by-case basis. is especially true for women in the sciences, who are more often partnered with other academics. While only 7% of the members of More women than men reported the American Physical Society are women, that they had taken a lower-level an astonishing 69% are married to other scientists. A remarkable 80% of women math- science position, or a job outside ematicians and 33% of women chemists are science, in their most recent married to men in their own fields.4 job search.

Although men and women Research on dual-career academics by Lisa Wolf-Wendel, Susan B. Twombly, and [scientists] might both encounter Suzanne Rice found that “dual-career accom- difficulties as dual-career modation requests, even at places with formal academics, the survey showed policies, relies on serendipity, timing, and flexibility.”6 In many cases, accompanying that women face greater barriers partners are subject to the personalities and to advancement in their fields. informal practices of various departments. When the accompanying partner is female, potential employers may assume that her In 1998, two scientists from the College of ambitions are limited enough to accept a posi- William and Mary published a detailed survey tion that is beneath her qualifications (or no of dual-career couples in physics. The results position at all). were startling and well-publicized. Although The 1998 survey documented how hiring men and women might both encounter dif- committees send mixed messages to aca- ficulties as dual-career academics, the survey demic couples. The hiring committee at one showed that women face greater barriers to university offered this solution to the female advancement in their fields. More women than partner: “They suggested that I might con- men reported that they had taken a lower-level sider giving up my career.” Another aca- science position, or a job outside science, in demic partner was told by the department their most recent job search. Such partnerships chair “that trying to find two jobs was a bad in the sciences are detrimental to women’s strategy and that things worked best if one advancement given the rarity of dual offers.5 partner took the best job available and the other stopped working.” Perhaps the most Dual-Career outlandish recommendation reported by a Responsiveness Lacking dual-career academic was a hiring committee Responsiveness to dual-career issues is per- professor who “suggested to my husband haps one of the greatest challenges faced at his interview that one way to solve the by public and private academic institutions. two-body problem was to divorce me.”7 It is Current institutional policies, which range unsettling to think that negative stereotypes from formal to ad hoc, rarely create ten- about dual-career academic couples still have ure-track positions for accompanying hires. such traction within the academy.

------CHAPTER 9 • CAREER AND FAMILY 109 Dual-Career Hiring, References Retention Addressed 1. Taz V (pseudonym). (2005). Not Dead Yet. How can colleges and universities retain The Chronicle of Higher Education. October 24. highly qualified academic women in large numbers unless they solve the dual-career 2. Wolf-Wendel L, Twombly SB, Rice S. (2003). The Two-Body Problem: Dual-Career Couple issue inside the academy? In November 2006, Hiring Policies in Higher Education. Baltimore: the Clayman Institute at Stanford University The Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 53. launched the first nationwide faculty survey 3. Astin HS, Milem JF. (1997). “The Status of to address in-depth issues concerning dual- Academic Couples in U.S. Institutions,” In: Academic Couples: Problems and Promises, career academic hiring and retention. We eds. Ferber MA and Loeb JW. Urbana: are surveying over 30,000 faculty from 13 University of Illinois Press. top research universities across the country. 4. Gibbons A. (1992). Key Issue: Two-Career Follow-up interviews and focus groups will Science Marriage. Science 225, 1380. commence in the spring of 2007. Persons 5. McNeil L, Sher M. (1998). Report on the interested in following the progress of this Dual-Career-Couple Survey. http://physics. wm.edu/~sher/survey.html, pp. 3, 5. project are encouraged to visit our website at http://gender.stanford.edu. 6. Wolf-Wendel L, Twombly SB, Rice S. (2003). It’s Really a Three-Body Problem. Science, March 28. DOI 14869407968489859692. Policy Recommendations Needed 7. McNeil and Sher, pp. 10, 12. The Dual-Career Academic Couples study will culminate in policy recommendations aimed at helping universities recruit and retain greater numbers of women in leading faculty and administrative positions. Restructuring university practices will help transform the way universities do business and grow academic cultures where women, too, can flourish. n

110 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS III ------Postponement of Parenthood—the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

s more women are choosing to enter the workforce—and often assuming leadership roles— Atheir age at first childbirth has risen dramatically. In the U.S., that age is on average now 24.8 years, up from 22.1 in 1970.1 Trends in Europe and Asia are similar, although the average age is older, for example 29 in Spain and 28 in Japan. Meanwhile, public awareness of fertility issues in women previously thought to be of “reproductive age” has increased. Fertility naturally declines with age. The percentage of women not using contraception and desiring pregnancy, but remaining childless, rises steadily with age.2 Six percent of women at age 20–24 cannot conceive, compared with 15% at age 30–34, 30% at age 35–39, Kelle H. Moley and 64% at age 40–44. Washington University These statistics reflect the natural loss of oocytes School of Medicine with age. When puberty begins, women have about 500,000 oocytes. Around 1,000 are recruited each month, about 20 are visible by ultrasound at the beginning of each menstrual cycle, and only one makes it to ovulation. Also, as women age, the quality of the oocytes diminishes because of the following factors: • Damage to the oocytes during the woman’s fetal life • Aging of the supporting somatic granulosa cells, which with the oocyte form the follicle • Direct damage to the adult woman’s oocytes (from smoking, toxins, chemotherapy, or radiation)

Rates of monthly fecundity—the ability to conceive and have an embryo successfully implant—show this natural aging. In the clinical study summarized in Figure 1, fecundity rates in women aged 30 or younger average around 25% but drop off after age 31, the result of both falling numbers and diminished quality of oocytes.3 The women in this study were considered fertile and came to infertility clinics for donor insemination. The drop in fecundity with age is not related

------CHAPTER 9 • CAREER AND FAMILY 111

1.00

.90

.80

.70

.60

.50

.40

.30

.20

.10

.00

Figure 1. Rate for pregnancy by age with regard to outcome. Dashed lines: relatively fewer women in cohort, and hence a different mode of data analysis employed, but statistically significant. Reproduced from “Delay- ing childbearing: Effect of age on fecundity and outcome” by B.M. van Noord-Zaadstra et al., BMJ 302, 1361–1365 (1991) with permission from BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.3

to uterine factors, because studies with donor evidence of subfertility emerges. The most eggs reveal that the endometrium of women commonly used markers at IVF centers for aged 50 or older responds to hormonal ther- predicting successful pregnancies are baseline apy and can support implantation and preg- levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in nancy. The rate-limiting step is the ovarian the blood. (These are measured on day three reserve—the number and quality of oocytes. of the menstrual cycle along with estradiol Moreover, assisted reproductive technolo- levels.) Because FSH levels rise quickly early gies, such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) or in the cycle, elevated levels indicate that the injectable gonadotropins combined with pituitary is working overtime to induce folli- insemination (IUI), cannot correct this drop in cle formation. Unfortunately, by the time this fecundity; these patients experience the same level rises to about 12 mIU/mL, most women age-related drops. By age 35, success rates are will not respond to therapy treatments, and down to 30% for IVF and 15% for IUI, and by the chances of successful pregnancies with 40 they are less than 10% for both technolo- artificial reproductive technologies are low. gies.4 Although exceptions occur—we have The FSH assay cannot predict subfertility; it all heard of a 42-year-old woman getting can only confirm it. pregnant without trying—these women are Measuring total antral follicle counts by usually not first-time parents, nor are they ultrasound examination on day one or two of seeking help from infertility clinics. the menstrual cycle is routine today. Although Predicting the age of decreased fertility scores of 11–14 are considered fertile, the test in twentysomethings would help with fam- is inconsistent and subjective. Total ovarian ily planning. Unfortunately, such accurate volume is another ultrasonographic marker, tests do not exist. Today’s tests all relate with 14 mL representing normal fertility. to the ovarian reserve or the number of Again, measurements can vary and this tech- follicle cohorts recruited in each cycle. But nique has also been criticized. Some studies most results do not become “abnormal” until suggest that anti-Müllerian hormone (normal

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level is 8 ng/mL) and inhibin B (should be sue and freezing it at the time of staging ~84 pg/mL) are the best serum markers surgery for cancer has been used extensive- because both are produced and released by ly, the method has produced only two live antral follicles directly, unlike FSH. However, births worldwide. Optimizing the freezing most insurance plans do not cover the antral and, more critically, the thawing of the ovar- follicle count test, and clinical labs do not ian cortex is an area of active investigation commonly measure either serum marker. in humans and animals. Freezing fertilized Also, no large-scale clinical studies validat- embryos is common practice in most of the ing these tests for predicting subfertility have world’s IVF centers, and related pregnancy been undertaken. rates are comparable to those involving fresh In one study, patients with premature embryo transfers. Oocyte cryopreservation, ovarian failure had microdeletions in genes however, has not been nearly as successful. for oogenesis and folliculogenesis.5 This work Immature oocytes retrieved without conven- and others have identified patterns of struc- tional IVF protocols, such as ovulation induc- tural variation and complex deletions, primar- tion and in vivo maturation, do not survive ily on the X chromosome.6 These findings are thawing, most likely because of problems consistent with the premature ovarian failure with the critical processes of spindle forma- or insufficiency that patients with Turner syn- tion and resuming meiosis. Mature oocytes drome (X-chromosome monosomy) experi- obtained by inducing ovulation and through ence. Genetic screening tests to gauge predis- in vivo maturation have improved freeze– position to early ovarian depletion of oocytes thaw morphology and maturation, but intrac- may become available. ytoplasmic sperm injection, a micromanipula- tion technique, is required to achieve fertilization. Pregnancy rates for this procedure range So far, we have no blood from 10% to 17%—less than half the normal tests that can predict reduced IVF rates. Also, the high concentrations of reproductive life span when cryoprotectants used (e.g., 1,2-propanediol, dimethyl sulfoxide, and ethylene glycol)— intervention might still be an and their short- and long-term effects on the option. oocyte—have raised concerns.

So far, we have no blood tests that can Ideally, research either will predict reduced reproductive life span when identify genetic markers to intervention might still be an option. Research efforts are investigating genetic testing predict premature depletion of options, but infertility and shortening of the the egg supply or will establish reproductive life span are probably complex serum markers to diagnose traits. Current clinical strategies to predict reproductive life span include combinations dwindling follicle numbers or of ovarian imaging and hormonal markers. oocyte quality earlier in the Oocyte and ovarian cryopreservation have ovarian life cycle. gained attention recently as options to pre- serve fertility, but both techniques are flawed and risky. Although removing ovarian tis-

------CHAPTER 9 • CAREER AND FAMILY 113 We need genetic markers correlated with References abnormalities in folliculogenesis and oocyte 1. American Sociological Association, U.S. quality, coupled with longitudinal data, to Census; Bureau of Labor Statistics; National Center for Health Statistics (2007). predict time from detecting elevated biomark- ers to menopause. Ideally, research either will 2. Menken J, Trussell J, Larsen U. (1986). Age and Infertility. Science, 233, 1389–1394. identify genetic markers to predict premature 3. van Noord-Zaadstra BM et al. (1991). depletion of the egg supply or will establish Delaying Childbearing: Effect of Age on serum markers to diagnose dwindling follicle Fecundity and Outcome. BMJ 302, 1361– numbers or oocyte quality earlier in the ovar- 1365. ian life cycle. In time, tests could accurately 4. Broekmans FJ, Knauff EAH, te Velde ER, predict individual spans of reproductive com- Macklon NS, Fauser BC. (2007). Female Reproductive Ageing: Current Knowledge and petence. However, to repeat, such tests are Future Trends. Trends Endocrinol Metab 18, currently not available. n 58–65. 5. Di Pasquale et al. (2006). Identification of New Variants of Human BMP15 Gene in a Large Cohort of Women with Premature Ovarian Failure. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 91, 1976–1979. 6. Welt CK et al. (2004). Evidence of Early Ovarian Aging in Fragile X Permutation Carriers. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 89, 4569–4574.

114 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS III ------Postponement of Parenthood: Implications for Women Scientists

n 2004 I authored a Women in Cell Biology (WICB) column, “On Being a Scientist and Parent,”1 wherein II wrote the following: When to have kids? Obviously it’s easier when you see a coherent career path before you, and don’t feel you need to rush it—you can be a great first-time parent in your late 30s/early 40s. But having babies earlier can work out fine also; it’s just more dicey to pull off.

What this observation ignored, naively, was the reality of diminishing fertility as we age. This reality is detailed in another WICB column by Kelle Moley, called “Postponing Parenthood—the Good, the Bad, 2 Ursula Goodenough and the Ugly” (see page 111). Women in their late Washington University 30s and early 40s may have the qualities to be great Chair, Women in first-time parents, but they may discover that they Cell Biology Committee don’t have the wherewithal to conceive, given that egg reserves decline dramatically in many women after age 35.

[T]he median age of women who succeed in obtaining an academic position is 35, already at the fertility tipping point.

While I was aware that conception was more difficult with age, my flawed premise was that, should conception prove difficult, there was always the option of in vitro fertilization (IVF), albeit at considerable cost. In fact, IVF proves to be just as compromised by egg- reserve depletion as is natural conception. Moreover, as detailed in Moley’s article, there are currently no tests available that predict the future status of a woman’s egg reserves; the existing tests only confirm

------CHAPTER 9 • CAREER AND FAMILY 115 that radical depletion has already occurred. academia is at present quite ill-prepared here. As one academic gynecologist remarked: To be sure, most institutions have by now “I’ve noticed that several months after rotat- implemented at least minimalist maternity- ing through our fertility clinic, many of our leave and clock-stopping formulae for their female residents show up pregnant.” faculty, but graduate students and postdocs There are, of course, other options—the use are for the most part operating in poorly of donor eggs, or adoption, or acceptance of a defined territory. Some thesis advisors/PIs child-free lifestyle (which some women elect are encouraging and flexible, but many oth- from the outset). But given that most women ers, with their eyes focused on the next grant- who intend to have children prefer that they renewal deadline, are decidedly less so, and be genetically related, the fertility statistics all of us sense that we are working without obviously collide head-on with current career either a map or a net. When a woman in one’s profiles in the sciences. Challenges arise in lab has a baby, it is all too often regarded as all scientific career trajectories; the focus here a problem to be solved, or a difficulty to con- will be on academia since that’s what I’m tend with, or a challenge to face, rather than most familiar with. the normal course of events. Recent studies3–5 indicate that a key fac- Hugely compounding “the problem” is the tor in the loss of women Ph.D. scientists to current situation with childcare. While some academic careers is their perception that such institutions have made commendable strides careers are just too demanding to tackle if in providing affordable-quality childcare they also want to have a family. There are facilities, a recent survey carried out by the good reasons to hold this perception from WICB Committee indicates that most have a the fertility perspective. The median age for very long way to go. Reports from Committee receipt of Ph.D. in the biomedical sciences members and from WICB Network8 members is 31, and the median length of postdoctoral on 24 institutions yield the following. training is four years,6 meaning that the medi- • Wait lists: times range from three months an age of women who succeed in obtaining an to two years, with the mean at least a year. academic position is 35, already at the fertility (Comments: “If you don’t get your child tipping point. The biggest hurdle then lies in as an infant, chances are slim that you’ll ahead, with a five- to seven-year window to ever get in;” “The postdocs in my hus- meet what many perceive to be an increasing- band’s lab say that the moment you know ly high bar of research-productivity, teaching- you’re pregnant you start putting yourself excellence, and departmental-service expec- on waitlists;” “I signed the list two years tations.7 Were it the case, as I had blithely ago and they still haven’t contacted me”). assumed, that one could with impunity land tenured on the other side of this marathon • Cost per month and then start a family, all would be fine. Range for infants=$650–$1,500; But too many women who have made this mean=$1,000 gamble have wound up childless. It’s a risky Range for toddlers=$675–$1,800; game plan. mean=$1,100 So from the fertility perspective, the viable game plan is that women scientists who wish Translation: a postdoc with a $36,000/ to have children start their families as gradu- year salary and two children needs to spend ate students or postdocs or early faculty mem- 2/3 of her salary on childcare—if, that is, bers. It probably goes without saying that she can find places that have openings.

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References When universities recognize 1. Goodenough U. (2004). On Being a Scientist that pregnant young women and Parent. ASCB Newsletter 27 (11), 18–19. www.ascb.org/files/0411wicb.pdf. and young parents are the 2. Moley KH. (2007). Postponement of Parenthood—the Good, the Bad, and the expectation and not the Ugly. ASCB Newsletter 30, 25–27. www. exception, and organize their ascb.org/files/0711newsletter.pdf. 3. Committee on Maximizing the Potential expectations accordingly, we of Women in Academic Science and may start to get somewhere Engineering, National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and in the equal-opportunity Institute of Medicine. (2007). Beyond Bias and Barriers: Fulfilling the Potential of Women department. in Academic Science and Engineering. Washington, DC; National Academies Press. www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_ id=11741. The obvious “solution” here is a radical 4. Martinez E et al. (2007). Falling Off the revision in the relationship between the acad- Academic Bandwagon: Women Are More Likely to Quit at the Postdoc to Principal emy and family. As is often noted, the aca- Investigator Transition. EMBO Reports 8, demic career trajectory was set up in an era 977–981. when most of the academics were males with 5. Ledin A et al. (2007). A Persistent Problem: wives at home. Since the 1970s, programs Traditional Gender Roles Hold Back Female Scientists. EMBO Reports 8, 982–987. and plans have been layered over the existing system to create a patchwork of exceptions 6. Committee on National Needs for Biomedical and Behavioral Scientists, Education and to the rules, and women attempt to navigate Career Studies Unit, National Research these waters as best they can or, far too often, Council. (2000). Addressing the Nation’s decide not to bother. When universities recog- Changing Needs for Biomedical and Behavioral Scientists. Washington, DC: nize that pregnant young women and young National Academies Press. www.nap.edu/ parents are the expectation and not the excep- openbook.php?record_id=9827. tion, and organize their expectations accord- 7. Freeman R, Weinstein E, Marincola ingly, we may start to get somewhere in the E, Rosenbaum J, Solomon F. (2001). Competition and Careers in Biosciences. equal-opportunity department. n Science 294, 2293–2294. www.sciencemag. org/cgi/content/full/294/5550/2293?ijkey =XSPM3bY01vxeY&keytype=ref&siteid=sci). 8. Goodenough U. (2006). Announcing the WICB Network. ASCB Newsletter 29 (4), 10–11. www.ascb.org/files/0604wicb.pdf.

------CHAPTER 9 • CAREER AND FAMILY 117 On Supporting Female Postdoctoral Fellows with Children

t is perfectly natural and normal for postdocs to have children, but it has not always seemed so. As Ia graduate student and postdoctoral fellow in the mid-1960s, I had several female colleagues, but with the notable exception of Merrill (and Bertil) Hille, none had children. Somehow I felt that this was in the natural order of things and represented the sacrifice a woman had to make to have a successful career in science. Indeed, during the first 13 years I was on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) faculty, I had many female students and postdocs in the lab, but none had children, and I never thought to discuss this—or any other family matter—with them. This despite the fact that my wife and I were raising three Harvey F. Lodish wonderful children, and I was aware of the great satis- Whitehead Institute for faction I was getting helping them grow and develop Biomedical Research and into successful young adults. Department of Biology, This all changed in 1981 when Alice Dautry joined Massachusetts Institute of my lab as a postdoc. Her husband was a postdoc with Technology Robert Weinberg, and she was at Harvard Medical School when I interviewed her. It took only a few minutes for me to recognize her talents, and I gladly accepted her into my group. Partly in collaboration with Aaron Ciechanover, Alice carried out a brilliant series of studies elucidating the pathway of iron delivery from transferrin into cells involving endocytic recy- cling of apotransferrin and the transferrin receptor. In late 1982 Alice announced that she was pregnant. At that time there were no protocols for PIs to follow in pregnancy matters, and none of my faculty colleagues could offer much advice. For example, Alice recently wrote me that she “was wearing a lead apron, very heavy, while I was pregnant, to work with 125I-transferrin.” (Such work would probably be forbid- den today.) She also wrote, “I remember, being one of the first women scientists pregnant at MIT, walking around campus, and people were asking me in a very pleasant way how I was feeling, and so on. It was

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really nice and warm.” And “I also remember viduals would be less productive than those presenting a large seminar at MIT, where without children. everybody was there, to present the results Alice was the first of many women who on the transferrin receptor cycle. I was quite had children before or while they were in pregnant and again, I had nice comments, my lab, and all were exceptionally produc- both scientific and personal.” tive and successful both while at Whitehead/ Her son Raphael was born in May 1983. MIT and afterward. The list is long (Svetlana Not knowing what else to do, I suggested Bergelson, Giulia Baldini, Miyoung Chun, that she use her maternity leave to write two Ana Maria Garcia, Ursula Klingmüller, Petra review articles, one of which was published Knaus, Carol Mulford, Drorit Neumann, in Scientific American and the other in a more Jean Schaffer, Merav Socolovsky, Wei Tong, conventional review journal. I remember Stephanie Watowich, Rebecca Wells, Lilian going to her flat and working on drafts of Wikström, Hong Wu, and Jing Zhang), as the articles with her while she was nursing; is the list of top journals in which they pub- somehow this seemed like the natural thing lished while in my group.1 to do. Alice’s account: “I wrote two review Perhaps more important is what happened papers during [Raphael's] first two months, after they left my lab. In 2005 Alice was and I am still very grateful for your support appointed president of the Pasteur Institute in at that time. I really wrote them while having Paris. Four women from my lab have had suc- [him] in my arms part of the time, working on cessful careers in pharmaceutical companies my first personal computer I had purchased and one in publishing. The others accepted specially for that.” tenure-track faculty positions at top universities.2 All were promoted and tenured at the appropriate time. When interviewing potential postdocs, I … I suddenly realized that never ask anything about family matters or having a postdoc with a small children—such questions are illegal in any child was natural, and it case. I do volunteer information about nearby childcare facilities and the fact that many occurred to me that there was of my postdocs have children. Often I now no reason why such individuals show them pictures of my own seven grand- would be less productive than children or of our annual lab swimming party where 20 or so small children, with par- those without children. ents, fill the pool. These “offhand” comments make the point that I welcome postdocs with children. I also make sure that intervie- My point is not that I was a sensitive male wees meet both male and female postdocs PI in touch with his emotions and wanting who have small children. I have found this to do the politically correct thing. I wanted approach extremely useful in recruiting out- these papers published expeditiously, and if standing postdocs of both sexes. Again, I do sitting with a nursing mother was what had this out of self-interest for my laboratory and to be done, then so be it. It was then that I my research—my objective is to attract the suddenly realized that having a postdoc with best postdocs I can, and being sympathetic to a small child was natural, and it occurred to children is, I have found, one way to accom- me that there was no reason why such indi- plish this goal.

------CHAPTER 9 • CAREER AND FAMILY 119 Thus, as a community, postdocs (and grad- Institutional support of childcare uate students) need subsidies for childcare, is not only the right thing to as well as more childcare centers that are close by. Clearly, Whitehead/MIT must and do; it is important in attracting will do more in the childcare area if it is to and retaining the best students continue to attract the best and the brightest and staff in an increasingly students, postdocs, and faculty of both sexes. Institutional support of childcare is not only competitive environment. the right thing to do; it is important in attracting and retaining the best students and staff in an increasingly competitive environment. The Childcare is the big issue, and my hope is sooner each biomedical institution figures this that institutions will realize that not having out, the better the situation will become. n affordable childcare onsite will cause them to lose outstanding students and postdocs Footnotes to institutions that do. A recent survey of 1. Advances in Protein Chemistry; Annual Review Whitehead postdocs emphasized the impor- of Cell Biology; Biochemical Journal; Blood, 7; Cell, 4; EMBO Journal, 2; Experimental tance of this issue.3 Of the 87 (of 130 invited) Hematology; Journal of Biological Chemistry, who responded, 67% are married. All but 13; Journal of Cell Biology; Journal of three of the 58 married postdocs have (33) or Experimental Medicine; Molecular and Cellular Biology, 2; Nature; Proceedings of expect to have (22) children. Of the female the National Academy of Sciences of the postdocs specifically, 76% are married, and United States of America, 10. of these most either have (60%) or expect to 2. Boston University Medical School, have (36%) children. The recently opened Columbia Medical School, University Stata Center at MIT has a childcare facility, of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Tel Aviv University, the Max Planck Society, but the waiting list includes several hundred UCLA Medical School, University of children. The financial cost of childcare for Würzburg, Yale Medical School, postdoc families is huge and takes up a siz- University of Massachusetts Medical School, University of Wisconsin Medical School, able amount of their take-home pay—about University of Pennsylvania Medical School, 25% on average, as indicated by the survey. and Washington University Medical School. 3. www.whitehead.mit.edu/research/ postdoc/includes/wi_cc_survey_2007. pdf?p=resources_ext.

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